s,i  3     '  L:|i  li^jL,  fT'  ffTrW/lrtMf.'U  *'-•.'  '• !  • ' 


|-  ^SBj^Sj  ;  !;4-3^V^^j  Mf-%      --  ' 


GIFT  OF 
Prof.    C.A.    Kofoid 


SCAMPAV1AS 


GIBEL    TAREK    TO    STAMBOUL, 


HARRY    GRINGO.  f 

(Lieutenant  Wife,  United  Statw  Navy) 

AUTHOR  OF   "  LOS  GRINGOS,"   AND  "  f  ALES   FOR  THE   MARINES. 


NEW    YORK: 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER,  377  &  379  BROADWAY. 
1857. 


KNTKR«D  according  to  Act  of  Congrest,  in  the  year  1867,  by 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER, 

In  the  Clerk'.  Office  of  the  DUtrUt  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  Di»trwt  of  New  York. 


W.  H.  TIN80N,  STERBOTYPKR. 


OEORGK  RUS.SKI.L  A  CO.,  PKINTE1 


I  DEDICATE  THIS  VOLUME 

TO 

COMMANDEE  JOHN  EAISTDOLPH  TUCKEE, 

OP   THE   NAVY   OP   THE    UNITED  STATES, 

Who  has  been  my  tried  friend,  in  storm  and  sunshine,  for 
a  full  score  of  years,  and  who  is  as  true  a  gentleman  and 
gallant  a  sailor  as  ever  trod  the  deck  of  a  ship. 

HARRY  GRINGO. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  0.,  January^  186T. 


M1G2330 


P  E  E  F  A  0  E  . 


"  Les  Marms  icrwent  mal,  metis  av6C  assee  de  candeur." 

THIS  volume  contains  a  light  record  of  a  cruise  on  board  a  Ship  of 
War  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  title  of  "  Scampavias,"  was  taken 
from  the  name  given  to  the  clipper  dispatch  vessels,  used  by  the 
Knights  of  Malta  in  the  olden  time,  and  means  literally  Runaways. 

The  Illustrations  have  been  drawn  from  sketches  taken  on  the  spot, 
by  an  accomplished  brother  blue  jacket,  whose  initials  and  merit 
correspond  with  those  of  the  Royal  Academy. 

HARRY  GRINGO. 
WASHINGTON  D.  C.,  January,  1867. 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB 
THE   COCKPIT 18 

CHAPTER  II. 

GIBEL   TAREK 86 

CHAPTER  III. 

LA   SPEZIA !  .  .  48 

CHAPTER  IV. 

% 

THE  LAST  OF  POOR  JACK 52 

CHAPTER  V. 

SANTA   LUCIA  68 


CHAPTER  VI. 

UNDER   CANVAS 77 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PORTO    LEONE 84 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PINNACLE    OF   PENTELLICUS 94 

THE   ACROPOLIS 99 

THE    PARTHENON 101 

HOTEL  LIFE  . 103 

ix 


x  CONTENTS . 

PAGF 

ON   HORSEBACK 105 

GOING   UP 107 

SAINT   SPIRIDON Ill 

THE   POPLAR   GROVE                 113 

CHAPTER  IX. 

GOING  TO    COURT 116 

QUEEN   AMELIA 117 

MARBLE   THIEVES 119 

CHAPTER  X. 

A   NIGHT   OFF   MALTA 120 

CHAPTER  XL 

THE   SHELL   OF   GOLD 128 

CHAPTER  XII. 

MONREAL                136 

MONKS 137 

THE   FORCELLA 139 

LA   FAVORITA 141 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

CHASE   OF   A   CONDESSA 142 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

PIEDIGROTTA 162 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A   LAND  SLIDE 157 

TUSCAN   BRIGANDS 161 

GUISSEPPE 168 

PORTO   FINO 165 

TURIN .  .  .  .  .167 

THE  BANQUETTE              .           .           . 169 

THE   COTTINI   FAMILY 17 1 

PARISIEN   NO.    46 173 

THE   RHONE 175 

THE   MERRY   PORTERS              .                                                          ...  177 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XVI. 


XI 


PAQB 

ORANGES   AND   LEMONS 179 

COZZANI 181 

PALAZZO  OLDNINI 185 

DOMESTICS 187 

THE    CASINO           .                                               189 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

MARINERS   IN   MINORCA 190 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

EL  CUATRO  NA9IONES 209 

THE  SAN  JACINTO 223 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

GREEKS -AND    GIAOURS 224 

CHAPTER  XX. 

ON   THE   WING 235 

STAMBOUL 239 

NARGHILES 241 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

HIANGIN   VAR 244 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  SUBLIME  PORTE 247 

GOING  TO  PRAYERS 263 

CHAPTER  XXIH. 

A   STAMPEDE   AT   STAMBOUL 254 

PARTING  WITH   CHRISTIANS 257 

BOILED   DOWN 259 

BASHIBAZOUK 261 

SLAYING   JANISSARIES 263 

SWEET   WATERS 265 

LAMP   LANGUAGE 269 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


FRANKINCENSE 


270 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

PAGH 
CRUISE    IN    A    CAIQUE  ........         277 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ABDUL   MEDJID   AT    HOME      ........         285 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
IL  SIROCCO        .........        .      293 

SMALL  SWORDS  .........       295 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

DIVERTISSEMENT  .........         299 


CHAPTER 

HALF-SEAS  OVER     .........    311 

BARCELONA     ..........    313 

COQUETTAS     ..........    315 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

HALF-SEAS    UNDER         .........         317 

PEASANTS    OF   THE    VAR          ........         321 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

OENOA        ...........  325 

GOLD          ...........  827 

GENTILITY          ........        .        .  329 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

WAR   TIMES  ........  .  .         331 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE    CITY    OF    ROSES  ........         836 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE    PASHA   AND   HIS   HAREM         .......         888 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

DANCING   DERVISHES  ........         348 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

DISPATCHES  .  .  348 


Scampavias. 


Chapter    I 


From  the  urchin  pining, 
For  his  Father's  knee— 

From  the  lattice  shining ; 
Drive  him  out  to  sea." 


The    Cockpit. 

I  WAS  sitting,  one  dull,  dreary  morning,  with  my  heels 
staring — with  great  outward  satisfaction — at  the  fire,  when 
the  bell  rang,  and  the  postman  brought  me  a  letter.  It  was 

18 


S  c 


AMP  A  vi  A  s. 


wrapped  in  a  huge  yellow 
envelope,  sealed  with  a  great  splatch  of  red  wax,  and  franked 
over  the  address,  with  the  ominous  words,  "  Navy  Depart- 
ment. Official  business." 

I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  many  a  poor  trembling 
mariner  has  endured  the  same  heart-  sick  feelings,  as  came 
over  my  spirits,  on  beholding  a  similar  terrible  engine  —  so 
calculated  to  scatter  dismay  in  peaceful  families  —  when  about 
to  be  pryed  out  of  a  happy  berth  on  shore,  and  sent  away 
out  upon  the  salt  seas,  to  the  Lord  only  knows  where. 

The  long,  slim  icicles,  which  hung  stiff  and  sharp  from  the 
branches  of  the  trees  in  front  of  the  windows,  rattling  in  the 
rough  blasts  of  a  bleak  March  wind,  were  not  colder  or  more 
dismal  than  I  was,  as  I  slowly  tore  off  the  cover  of  the  docu- 
ment. I  knew,  by  instinct,  what  would  be  the  contents,  and 
I  was  not  a  whit  wide  of  the  mark.  It  was  very  brief  —  these 
epistles  usually  are  —  and  it  was  couched  in  the  ordinary  cast 
—  a  peremptory,  and  by  no  means  affectionate,  style. 

This  was  its  purport:  "Sir,  —  You  are  hereby  appointed 
Flag-lieutenant  of  the  Mediterranean  squadron,  and  will 
'  proceed  forthwith  to  report  for  duty  on  board  the  frigate 
Cumberland." 

While  perusing  this  explicit  and  expressive  missive,  I 
recollect  there  was  a  spark  flew  in  both  my  eyes  from  the 
fire  ;  and  when  the  baby  was  brought  to  me,  as  was  custo- 
mary in  the  morning,  to  fondle  and  tumble  about  the  carpet, 
I  could  hardly  see  the  little  witch,  though  her  downy  cheeks 
were  buried  in  my  whiskers,  and  the  soft,  fat  arms  were 
twined  around  my  throat. 


THE    COCKPIT.  15 

"  Another  cruise,  my  dear,"  said  I  to  my  wife,  pointing  to 
the  paper,  which  had  fallen  open  upon  the  floor. 

"  But  you  won't  go,  will  you  ?"  exclaimed  my  help-mate, 
with  a  shudder,  as  we  nearly  let  the  baby  drop,  between  us. 

"  Why,  you  know  I  must,"  I  replied,  mechanically,  "  unless 
I  toss  up  my  commission  and  resign;  and  one  don't  care 
to  take  a  step  of  that  nature,  here  in  the  middle  of  the 
month,  for  it's  so  apt  to  derange  the  purser's  accounts,  and — 
so  I  fear  there's  no  help  for  me." 

The  servant  announced  breakfast. 

"  What  will  you  have  ?"  inquired  my  help-mate,  as  she 
took  a  place  at  the  table. 

"  Tea,  of  the  blackest  and  strongest  decoction,"  I  said 
sadly,  for  the  document  had  taken  the  edge  off  my  appetite  for 
solids ;  and  be  assured,  brother  sailor,  that  tea  is  your  friend 
on  these  occasions,  for  it  gives  you  a  stout  and  indifferent 
heart. 

It  is  needless  to  relate  how,  for  a  time,  there  were  indi- 
viduals about  the  premises,  busily  employed  making  up  all 
sorts  of  linen,  and  other  invisible  gear ;  while  the  tailors  fit- 
ted me  out  in  blue  broadcloth  and  bullion  ;  until  finally  my 
kit  was  pronounced  perfect,  and  away  I  went. 

Very  sad  it  made  me  to  go,  and  I  was  not  chary  of  epi- 
thets upon  the  world  at  large,  and  the  Navy  Department  in 
particular ;  but  one  may  as  well  rail  at  the  northwest  wind, 
while  the  breakers  are  dashing  on  a  lee  shore,  as  to  look  for 
sympathy  in  that  quarter;  and  so  I  might  have  saved  my 
breath. 

I  joined  the  frigate,  I  remember,  in  a  blinding  snow-storm. 


16  SOAMPAVIAS. 

She  lay  chained  to  the  piers  of  the  dock-yard,  with  her  lofty 
masts,  black  yards,  spar  deck,  and  battery,  sheeted  in  snow, 
while  the  boats  coming  from  the  receiving  hulk,  in  the 
stream,  were  crowded  with  a  living-  freight,  which  were  to 
compose  the  crew.  There  were  about  five  hundred  of  these 
last,  consisting  of  the  usual  reckless,  careless  spirits,  who 
roam  over  the  ocean,  from  all  climes,  and  of  all  nations, 
including  a  goodly  portion  of  newly  imported  wild  Irishmen, 
and  a  few  hardy  Yankee  salts. 

The  ship  was  commissioned,  and  for  about  a  fortnight 
after,  in  addition  to  the  never-ceasing  confusion  which  reigns 
on  board  a  vessel  newly  put  in  service,  there  appeared  to  be 
a  perfect  tornado  of  dock-yard  artisans — carpenters — riggers 
— tinkers,  and  the  like — who  rushed  distractedly  about,  tear- 
ing everything  to  pieces  that  had  been  effected  before,  and 
never  seeming  to  please  anybody. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  as  a  general  rule,  that  there  is 
always  a  wide  difference  of  opinion  between  the  dock-yard 
people  and  the  mariners,  with  regard  to  the  comparative 
utility  of  the  various  improvements  or  fittings  of  a  sea-going 
ship,  and,  in  the  end,  both  parties  are  not  disinclined  to  part 
with  each  other  as  soon  as  practicable. 

Our  trials,  in  this  respect,  were  not  of  long  duration,  and 
one  bright,  pleasant  morning,  early  in  the  month  of  May, 
Anno  Domini  1852,  the  sailing  orders  came. 

When  the  tide  made  in  the  afternoon,  the  pilot  gave  the 
word,  the  iron  fasts  were  let  run  from  the  ports,  the  stagings 
hauled  on  shore,  and  slowly  the  vessel's  head  swung  off  from 
the  pier-head  towards  the  stream. 


THE    COCKPIT.  17 

There  was  a  low,  squat  steam-tug  in  readiness  for  us, 
painted  very  red,  and  looking  extremely  infernal  and  wicked, 
as  she  lay  at  a  wharf  some  distance  astern,  and  only  evinced 
her  spleen  at  intervals,  by  short  splenetic  coughs  from  her 
escape  pipes,  as  if  she  was  viciously  inclined  upon  bursting 
her  boilers,  out  of  the  purest  spite  and  rage,  right  under  the 
frigate's  counters. 

"Are  the  hawsers  ready?"  cried  the  first  lieutenant.  A 
toss  of  the  hand  was  the  affirmative  reply  from  the  man  on 
board  the  tug,  and,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  or  timid- 
ity, the  red  beast  screwed  noiselessly  alongside  the  ship, 
and  seizing  her  with  a  nip  like  to  a  forceps,  the  broad  propel- 
ler vibrated  backwards  and  forwards  for  a  moment;  and 
then,  as  if  tired  of  such  nonsense,  with  a  whirling  spin,  that 
made  the  water  foam,  she  breasted  her  enormous  burden 
slowly,  but  surely,  down  the  harbor  of  Boston. 

A  little  before  sunset,  we  reached  the  outer  anchorage  of 
Nantasket  Roads,  where,  the  wind  being  unfavorable,  we  let 
go  an  anchor.  The  steam  tug,  having  apparently  done  her 
worst  in  dragging  us  away  from  our  homes,  rested  placidly 
beside  us  for  a  time,  in  the  enjoyment  of  our  grief;  when, 
having  taken  on  board  some  pleasant  friends,  who  had  come 
to  see  the  last  of  us  on  this  side  of  the  globe,  they  departed, 
leaving  us  poor,  sad,  woe-begone  mortals,  to  brood  over  our 
sorrows  alone. 

At  early  dawn  the  following  day,  the  wind  came  furtively 
fair.  I  am  inclined  to  this  opinion,  though  I  did  not  feel  it, 
nor  ask  a  soul  about  it;  for,  I  was  much  too  miserable 
to  care  for  anything  of  the  sort.  Yet,  I  felt  assured  my  sur- 


18  S  CAMP  AV  IAS. 

mise  was  correct,  because  I  heard  the  sharp  ring  of  the 
boatswains'  whistles,  with  the  cry  of:  "All  hands  up  anchor." 
Then  there  was  a  short  race  around  the  capstans,  but 
presently  the  tramp  of  the  busy  feet  ceased ;  the  word  was 
passed  along  the  gun-deck  to  "  secure  the  cable  ;"  and  then, 
I  knew  again  that  we  were  not  off  yet. 

I  made  a  determined  effort  some  hours  later,  and  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  upper  air.  The  weather  had  changed,  as  the 
barometer  had  predicted ;  the  horizon,  where  the  sun  rose 
looked  hard  and  gloomy ;  and  the  wind,  too,  was  creeping 
stealthily,  but  steadily,  from  the  same  direction.  Before 
noon,  rain  came,  and  then  the  pilot  muttered  that  he  felt 
"dubersome"  about  the  appearances.  One  of  the  ocean- 
steamers  was  anchored  near  us ;  but  presently  she  struck  her 
paddles  deep  into  the  water,  and,  turning  her  nose  up  at  sails 
and  head  winds,  dashed  away  towards  Halifax.  It  was  a 
matter  of  discussion  with  us  at  dinner,  that  day,  if  the  steward 
of  the  Cunarder  had  not  supplied  her  with  a  superabundance 
of  provisions,  since  long  before  night,  with  a  rising  head  sea 
and  strong  gale,  she  must  have  been  forced  to  reduce  her 
revolutions,  while,  perhaps,  her  passengers  increased  theirs. 
In  fact,  with  our  big  hull,  and  the  very  slight  and  almost 
imperceptible  oscillations  caused  by  the  ocean  swell,  Bays, 
the  young  marine  officer,  was  heard  pathetically  to  request 
the  caterer  not  to  cook  any  delicacies  for  him,  of  any  kind  or 
description.  From  that,  those  of  the  strong  stomachs  divined 
that  the  soldier  preferred  the  land  for  a  lengthened  residence. 
The  warning,  however,  to  the  caterer,  seemed  to  be  a  matter 
of  supererogation,  for  no  opportunity  presented  itself  during 


THE    COCKPIT.  19 

our  stay  at  the  Roads  for  procuring  delicacies  of  the  most 
frugal  sort ;  with  the  exception  of  a  merchant  in  a  boat,  from 
the  famous  town  of  Hull,  hard  b}7  the  anchorage.  He  came 
close  under  the  frigate's  stern,  and,  holding  up  a  couple  of 
eggs,  asked  if  "  sum  wun  of  you  fellers  keer'd  to  buy  'em." 
He  also  volunteered  to  "  go  and  kitch  some  torn  cod,"  but, 
gaining  no  heed  to  his  solicitations,  he  sailed  away  dis- 
gusted. 

For  six  tedious  days,  the  easterly  gale  howled  dismally, 
while  the  rain  fell  chillingly,  in  concert.  There  we  lay, 
ready  for  sea,  the  guns  secured,  the  messenger  passed,  the 
capstan  bars  laid  beside  the  capstans,  and  all  dancing  attend- 
ance upon  the  perverse  wind,  while 

"  All  the  noisy  waves  went  freshly  leaping, 

Like  gamesome  boys  over  the  church-yard  dead." 

The  only  object  which  seemed  to  revel  with  delight  in  this 
dreary  scene,  was  our  friend  the  red  steam-tug.  She  was 
evidently  out  on  a  frolic.  During  the  heaviest  and  wildest 
weather,  the  monster,  as  if  conscious  of  her  iron  muscle  and 
power,  would  go  plunging  out  to  sea,  in  and  out  and  around 
the  angry  ledges  and  breakers,  looking  for  all  the  world  like 
a  huge  lobster,  with  her  revolving  claws  ready,  at  a  moment's 
notice,  to  snap  up  any  misguided  bark  that  had  unfortunately 
been  driven,  in  distress,  upon  the  pitiless  rocks  by  the  gale. 

How  we  all  doled  through  the  time,  during  this  tedious 
weather,  I  leave  to  those  who  are  fond  of  the  sea  to  imagine. 
For  my  own  part,  I  mustered  up  a  little  energy  one  morning, 
and  arranged  my  traps  in  some  show  of  order. 


20  SOAMPAVIAS. 

I  lived  down  in  a  dark,  gloomy  aperture  of  the  ship,  in  a 
place  called,  for  what  reason  brain  of  man  cannot  divine,  the 
cockpit.  It  is  always  associated  in  my  mind  with  the  "  spot 
where  Nelson  died" — which,  by  the  way,  aside  from  the 
cowardly  musket-ball  of  the  Frenchman,  would  not  have  been 
a  subject  of  wonderment,  if  he  had  been  obliged  to  lodge 
in  any  similar  hole  to  mine. 

Owing  to  the  detestable  internal  economy  of  space  within 
our  old-fashioned-built  vessels  of  war,  neither  officers  nor  men 
enjoy  the  wholesome  or  well-arranged  quarters  they  reason- 
ably  should.  In  the  present  day,  the  ward-rooms  are  the 
most  crowded  apartments  in  the  ship ;  and  it  frequently  hap- 
pens, as  in  my  case,  that,  without  swinging  in  a  cot,  alfresco, 
as  it  were,  in  the  open  "country,"  with  the  privilege  of  a 
wash-stand  in  the  street,  I  should  have  been  obliged  to 
perambulate  the  frigate  of  nights,  on  my  individual  feet,  or 
to  roost  in  the  boats,  or,  perhaps,  in  the  codfish-boxes  under 
the  maintop,  since  the  regular  state  rooms  were  legitimately 
occupied  by  those  entitled  to  them. 

Fortunately,  however,  the  cockpit  was  vacant,  and  there 
a  cabin  was  placed  at  my  disposal ;  for,  as  I  was  in  every- 
body's mess  and  nobody's  watch,  I  had  no  claims  to  more 
agreeable  accommodations. 

There  were  three  others  who  shared  with  me  this  retreat ; 
the  secretary  and  a  brace  of  surgeons. 

It  was  a  perfect  ladderrinth  to  get  down  to  this  pit ;  but, 
when  once  down,  it  had  virtues  of  its  own.  Sunlight  was 
never  seen  there  by  the  Ancient  Mariner  himself.  Air  had 
been  there  occasionally,  but  in  very  small  quantities — I  mean 


THE!     COCKPIT.  21 

breathing  air.  My  private  belief  is,  that  the  cockpit  was 
solely  invented  for  purposes  of  suffocation.  The  great  bread- 
rooms  opened  into  the  pit,  from  whose  capacious  tinned 
receptacles  the  biscuit  was  daily  taken  to  feed  the  mouths 
above.  The  purser's  store-house,  too,  sent  forth  its  tribute 
of  slops,  consisting  of  every  imaginable  material  from  blue 
jackets  to  red  pepper — brogans  and  bees-wax,  thread, 
trowsers,  thimbles,  pins,  pans,  silks,  and  candles.  Then, 
again,  the  hospital  drugs,  and  the  officer's  private  stores, 
were  all  drawn  in  bulk  from  these  realms,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  loaded  shell  magazines,  with  their  villainous  sulphur 
and  saltpetre,  being  entombed  directly  beneath  the  deck. 

The  awful  smell,  in  warm  weather,  of  tar,  ropes,  damp 
clothing,  drugs,  provisions,  powder,  and  the  compound 
fluid-extract  of  pure  .bilge  water,  and  the  like  refreshing 
elements,  reeked  here  in  stifling  profusion ;  but  one  good 
mouthful  of  pure  oxygen,  I  say  again,  was  never  inhaled 
in  the  pit.  Ethereal  spirits  of  that  volatile  nature  resort 
nearer  to  the  heavens. 

This  was  the  appearance  of  things  at  the  outset  of 
the  cruise ;  and,  moreover,  there  was  an  obstructed  passage- 
way leading  forward  from  this  den  to  the  spirit-room  hatch, 
and  designed  for  filling  shells,  thus  corking  us  up  like  a 
bottle.  At  a  later  period,  however,  on  getting  quit  of  the 
dock-yard  men,  our  own  carpenters,  with  a  few  vigorous 
blows  of  sledge-hammers  and  crowbars,  knocked  the  entire 
fabric  away,  leaving  a  wide  space,  where  a  large  lantern 
shed  its  gleams  perpetually  beside  a  sentinel  placed  there 
to  keep  guard  over  the  residents  and  property ;  and  where, 


22  SOAMPAVIAS. 

too,  a  plethoric  wind-sail  poured  a  current  of  fresh  air 
from  the  breezy  regions  above  :  thus  making,  on  the  whole,  our 
life  more  luxurious,  wholesome,  and  comfortable  than  before. 

At  the  same  time,  notwithstanding  the  unavoidable  ills 
of  a  sea  life,  not  sufficiently  alleviated  by  a  liberal  allowance 
of  candles,  and  the  certainty  of  being  the  first  blown  up  in 
case  of  fire,  we  still  existed  as  pleasantly  and  happily  as 
human  beings  could  expect  to,  six  feet  under  water,  within 
the  walls  of  a  ship. 

1o  descend,  however  to  details ;  my  own  cabin  was  pre- 
cisely six  feet  square,  and  nearly  five  feet  high — not  quite, 
but  an  inch  or  two  below  a  certain  elevation  is  not  impor- 
tant. Except  in  the  struggle  to  put  on  my  trowsers  in  a 
hurry,  which,  perhaps,  could  have  been  more  easily  per- 
formed by  standing  on  my  head,  I  experienced  no  difficulty 
or  inconvenience  whatever  on  that  score. 

Of  the  six  feet  square,  my  bunk  and  bed  occupied  about 
one-fourth—narrow,  to  be  sure,  in  the  most  sanguine  view  of 
the  case.  Had  it  been  occupied  by  my  Uncle  Toby,  before 
his  anticipated  marriage  with  Mrs.  Wadrnan,  I  feel  per- 
suaded that  Mr.  Shandy  would  not  have  cast  reproach 
upon  the  widow  for  being  about  to  prevent  her  lover  from 
sleeping  diagonally  in  his  bed ;  for,  under  the  most  favorable 
auspices,  it  would  have  puzzled  a  monkey  to  have  laid 
crosswise  in  mine. 

I  often  pondered  while  lying  awake  in  my  narrow  crib, 
how  a  gentleman  in  easy  circumstances  on  shore  would 
accept  of  a  night's  lodging  like  unto  my  retreat;  to  be 
asked  to  sleep  in  a  hole  six  feet  under  ground — except  it 


THE     COCKPIT.  23 

were  considered  a  grave — with  a  smoked  pork-shop  next 
door,  a  bakery  and  druggery  on  the  other,  an  old  clothes 
emporium  over  the  way,  and  a  powder  magazine  beneath ; 
then  to  breathe  a  foul  atmosphere  of  tar,  cheese,  and 
roaches ;  without  a  ray  of  light,  save  that  dimly  emitted 
by  smoky  oil ;  and  the  whole  catalogue  o"f  delights  closed 
by  reposing  on  rockers,  to  roll  and  to  pitch,  or  swing  to 
and  fro  as  in  a  bird-cage.  I  wonder,  I  say,  whether,  after 
a  first  trial,  the  visitor  would  care  to  enjoy  the  like  hos- 
pitality again! 

A  bureau,  with  a  writing  affair  attachment  stood  in  one 
corner;  a  small  wash-stand  in  the  other  ;  a  couple  of  shelves 
held  my  books  above,  and  around  were  racks  of  wooden  pegs 
to  hold  my  storm-clothes  and  ordinary  raiment.  Outside 
the  cabin,  behind  a  canvas  screen,  was  a  bath-tub,  where  I 
could  disport  myself  to  an  unlimited  extent  in  salt  water. 
All  this  constituted  my  palace  afloat ;  and,  though  neither 
gilded  nor  frescoed,  it  still  became  a  snug  little  home  for 
the  cruise,  where  I  could  be  sad  or  merry,  studious  or 
dreamy,  as  the  spirit  moved  me. 

It  was  on  the  17th  of  May,  at  daylight,  that  we  were  all 
astir.  The  wind  had  veered  fair,  and,  indeed,  it  was  high 
time,  for  the  pilot  was  out  of  shirts,  and  threatened  to  leave 
us  to  our  fate.  The  anchors  were  soon  wrung  from  their 
resting-places,  the  head  sails  hoisted,  and,  in  company  with  a 
great  crowd  of  outward  bounders,  we  all  steered  seaward 
together. 

Or  gaining  an  offing,  we  hove  to  for  a  moment,  to  give  the 
pilot  a  chance  to  step  into  his  cockle-shell  of  a  boat. 


24:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

"  Good-bye,  Captin,"  said  he,  as  he  strapped  up  the  certifi- 
cate of  his  pilotage  in  one  of  the  fat  pocket-books  with  which 
people  of  his  profession  invariably  supply  themselves. 
"  Good-bye,  pilot,"  said  we  all ;  "  keep  a  look-out  for  us  three 
years  from  to-day."  "  Aye,  aye — I  guess  I  won't,"  he 
exclaimed,  as  he  gave  his  beaver  a  pull,  and,  seizing  one  of 
the  oars,  sculled  on  board  his  vessel. 

An  hour  later,  we  ran  past  the  steam  frigate  Mississippi, 
gave  a  mutual  salute  of  hearty  cheers,  and  then,  making  all 
sail,  before  the  night  closed  around  us,  the  rocks,  villages, 
light-houses,  and  sand-hills  of  Cape  Cod  had  faded  away 
in  the  distance,  and  the  frigate  held  her  prow  resolutely 
towards  the  broad  Atlantic. 

For  some  days  we  went  bowling  along  at  great  speed,  with 
a  single  reef  in  the  topsails,  past  George's  shoals  into  the 
Gulf  Stream,  with  the  fogs  and  drizzle  which  hang  round 
those  warm  water  regions  obscuring  the  horizon,  and  holding 
the  canvas  of  the  frigate  out  full  and  rigid.  The  effect,  too, 
produced  by  the  sudden  change  of  medium  of  air  and  sea 
caused  the  inside  walls  and  ceilings  of  the  vessel  to  condense 
moisture,  and  every  plank,  timber,  and  bolt  pour  out  oozy 
drops  of  perspiration  upon  our  devoted  heads.  At  last,  came 
clear,  drying  weather,  when,  with  winds  at  times  light,  then 
fresh,  first  from  one  quarter,  and  then  another,  but  always 
fair,  we  made  rapid  progress  towards  the  Old  World. 

The  internal  organa  of  the  ship  also  progressed  favorably ; 
a  great  portion  of  the  crew  were  at  first  greener  than  the  sea, 
in  the  ways  of  a  man-of-war ;  but  constant  drilling  in  the 
ordinary  routine  of  duty  soon  put  everything  in  tolerable 


THECOOK.PIT.  25 

working  order.  At  the  outset,  after  recovering  from  the 
soul-harrowing  effects  of  sea-sickness,  their  physical  energies 
were  devoted  to  recruiting  their  stomachs,  and  the  effect  was 
visibly  manifest  at  every  succeeding  general  muster,  when 
they  all  marched  around  the  captain  for  inspection. 

I  should  say,  on  an  avoirdupois  guess,  that  in  aggregate 
bulk,  the  crew  increased  at  the  rate  of  about  four  tons  per 
month.  The  marines,  perhaps,  fell  a  trifle  below  this  esti- 
mate ;  for,  being  of  sedentary  habits,  and  immoderately 
addicted  to  "  duff,"  which  invariably  produced  the  colic,  they 
were  in  a  mass  neutralized  in  fatness.  Our  friends,  however, 
the  Milesians,  were  the  most  difficult  persons  to  bring  into  the 
traces.  Paddy  is  tractable  and  witty,  but  stupid  and  blunder- 
ing. They  would  persist  in  stowing  their  hammocks  on  one 
side  of  the  deck  in  the  morning,  and  looking  for  them  on  the 
other  at  night ;  being  deluded  into  this  dilemma,  by  remark- 
ing only  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  giving  no  heed  to  the  stem 
or  stern  of  the  ship,  they  forgot  that  the  sun  had  got  round 
to  another  part  of  the  heavens.  Going  up  the  rigging, 
however,  was  their  severest  trial.  They  were  always  "  light 
in  the  hed,  and  wake  in  the  ligs,  not  bein'  accustomed  to  the 
say,"  though  an  old  quarter-master  of  my  acquaintance  was 
eager  to  bet  a  month's  pay  that,  with  a  hod  of  mortar  over 
their  shoulders,  they  could  beat  a  cat  to  the  main-royal 
truck. 

It  was  not,  however,  trifles  of  this  nature  that  the  officers 
had  seriously  to  contend  with.  It  was  with  that  class  of 
persons  whose  characters  or  habits  had  become  distasteful 
to  their  fellow-men  on  shore;  to  whom  a  man-of-war  is  an 

2 


26  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Alsatia  of  refuge ;  with  whom  clear  good-natured  persuasion 
or  reason  has  but  little  weight ;  and  who  require  the  strong 
hand,  and  not  unfrequently  the  cold  steel  at  their  throats,  to 
reduce  them  to  wholesome  discipline  and  obedience. 

The  government  had  abolished  flogging  in  the  navy. 
Since  the  passage  of  the  law,  this  was  the  first  cruise  wherein 
I  had  had  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  effect  of  that 
measure  in  a  ship  of  war.  It  was,  at  the  time,  with  me, 
a  matter  of  exceeding  doubt — while  the  grog  part  of  the 
ration  was  left  to  work  its  pernicious  influence — whether 
a  man-of-war  could  be  properly  disciplined,  without  the  lash, 
or  the  substitute  of  cruel  and  unusual  means  of  punishment, 
to  curb  the  naturally  mutinous  and  vicious. 

Contrary,  however,  to  all  my  preconceived  convictions, 
trained,  as  I  had  been,  for  many  years,  under  the  old  system, 
where  the  cats  were  swung  habitually  upon  the  backs  of  the 
seamen,  I  must  candidly  admit,  that  my  views  have  under- 
gone an  entire  change. 

There  is  not  an  officer,  with  the  true  feelings  of  manhood, 
whose  soul  has  not  revolted  at  the  disgusting  practice  of  pun- 
ishment under  the  old  regulations  ;  and  neither,  do  I  believe, 
are  there  many  who  would  not  willingly  have  seen  the  lash 
abolished,  had  wise  and  effective  substitutes  been  devised 
to  supply  its  place.  This,  however,  in  a  moment  of  hasty 
legislation,  was  overlooked ;  and  the  only  means  left  with  the 
officers  to  control  the  men,  were  those  of  an  ordinary  nature, 
or  in  nautical  parlance,  "  according  to  the  usages  of  the  sea 
service." 

The  experiment,  I  feel  persuaded,  was  fairly  tried  on  board 


THE    COCKPIT.  27 

the  Cumberland,  and  I  am  equally  certain  with  decided 
success.  There  was  introduced  on  board  the  frigate  a 
thorough  and  impartial  administration  of  rewards,  as  well  as 
punishments,  which  held  out  encouragement  to  the  good,  and 
meted  out  strict  justice  to  the  bad.  A  prison  was  constructed 
on  the  lower  deck,  where  the  prisoners  could  not  communi- 
cate with  their  shipmates.  It  had  transverse  rods  of  iron  at 
top  and  bottom,  to  which  the  culprits  were  shackled,  and 
they  were  made  to  keep  the  same  watch  below  that  their 
shipmates  did  on  the  upper  deck,  instead  of  dozing  away 
their  time  in  comparative  comfort. 

For  light  offences,  the  men  were  given  extra  work,  and 
deprived  of  liberty  on  shore ;  but  for  offences  of  greater 
magnitude,  confinement  for  certain  periods  in  double  irons, 
and  by  sentence  of  court-martial,  disratings,  deprivation  of 
pay,  or  disgraceful  discharge  from  the  service. 

It  was,  however,  the  minor  delinquencies  that  required  the 
most  attention,  and  the  burden  of  the  duty  fell  entirely  upon 
the  executive  officers,  of  whom  incessant  vigilance  was  at  all 
times  demanded.  At  the  same  time,  the  rights  of  the  crew 
and  their  comforts  were  respected.  They  were  treated  with 
moderation  and  firmness.  I  never  heard  of  an  oath  being- 
spoken  through  the  trumpet  during  the  period  I  was  in  the 
ship ;  and  eventually  the  frigate  became  the  most  creditable 
vessel,  in  many  points  of  view,  that  it  had  been  my  lot  to 
sail  in. 

I  must  admit,  however,  that  the  crew  did  not,  on  all 
occasions,  work  with  the  same  quickness  and  alacrity,  as  I 
had  known  in  other  ships ;  but  this  was  more  attributable  to 


28  SOAMPAVIAS. 

the  feebler  stamina  of  the  men  themselves,  than  to  any  defect 
of  the  system. 

Of  recent  years,  a  great  depreciation  has  been  observed  in 
the  professional  capacities  of  the  enlisted  men  in  the  navy, 
and  California  and  Australia  may  have  been,  in  some  degree, 
the  allurements  which  have  drawn  them  away,  though  it 
is  fair  to  presume  the  race  has  not  become  entirely  extinct. 
There  is  another  reason,  however,  in  the  belief  the  sailors 
cherish,  that,  since  the  abolition  of  the  cats,  the  brunt  of  the 
work  on  Uncle  Sam's  decks  will  fall  upon  the  good  men  ;  and 
that  the  lazy  skulkers  and  worthless  will  have  all  the  play 
and  none  of  the  labor.  Even  now,  I  venture  to  assert  that, 
were  the  vote  taken  among  the  men  themselves,  on  board 
every  ship  of  war  in  commission,  a  large  majority  would 
be  cast  for  the  cats. 

The  chronometric  point  from  which  everything  dates, 
on  ship-board,  is  seven  bells.  A  man-of-war  wakes  fairly 
with  bustling  life  at  that  hour  in  the  morning.  The  boat- 
swains' whistles  ring  through  the  ship ;  the  men  tumble  out 
of  their  hammocks  on  the  gun  and  berth  decks,  and  prepara- 
tions are  made  for  breakfast.  As  sounds  fly  upward,  and  as 
a  salute  of  thirty -pounders  might  be  fired  without  particularly 
disturbing  the  denizens  of  the  cockpit,  we  were  generally 
informed  of  the  hour  by  a  servitor  who  attended  upon  us — a 
recent  importation  from  Cork.  Unlike  his  countrymen,  he 
was  a  dandy,  and  had  been  known  to  reverse  the  oil  cruets 
of  the  casters  upon  his  hirsute  locks,  to  give  them  a  glossy  hue. 

"  Av  ye  plase,  sur,  to  turn  out,"  was  his  accustomed  saluta- 
tion, while  lighting  a  candle  on  the  bureau. 


THE    COCKPIT.  29 

.  Without  a  moment's  reflection,  I  would  throw  my  heels 
out  of  the  bunk,  and  slide  as  gracefully  as  my  attire  would 
admit — taking  care  the  while  not  to  jolt  my  brains  against 
the  hard  pine  beams  above — on  to  a  camp-stool.  Here, 
a  few  moments'  rasping  with  the  hair  brushes  served  to 
restore  my  wits  for  the  day,  when  ducking  through  the 
state-room  door,  into  what  we  called  the  rural  districts,  I 
underwent  a  splash  of  sea-water,  and  then  returned  calmly  to 
my  vestments.  There  is  nothing  like  a  dip  of  cold  water,  at 
any  time,  but  especially  when  the  blood  wants  quickening  in 
the  sleepy  morning. 

By  the  time  the  boatswains  again  begin  their  shrill 
music,  in  piping  to  breakfast,  the  bell  strikes  eight,  and 
then  I  knew  by  instinct  that  the  gun-room  meal  was 
ready  also,  and  accordingly  I  ascended  to  the  upper  regions. 
The  officers'  breakfast  is  quite  "  a  la  traiteur,"  that  is  to 
say,  each  servant  has  something  hot  on  the  coals,  at  the 
cook-shop  of  the  galley,  for  his  officer.  My  individual 
prejudices  were  usually  in  favor  of  a  grilled  sea-robin — the 
marine  jargon  for  red  herrings — stale  bread  with  red  wine 
and  water.  Eggs  I  never  touch  on  the  ocean — an  absurd 
fancy  which  I  could  never  overcome. 

The  breakfast  equipage  remains  on  the  mess  table  about 
an  hour ;  and  any  indifferent  person,  whether  he  be  of  the 
civil  or  military  establishment  of  the  ship,  may  sit  and 
chat,  or  eat  away  the  time,  as  it  best  pleases  him.  But,  as 
the  bell  strikes  nine  o'clock,  the  drum  takes  up  the  sound, 
with  a  sharp  quick  beat  to  quarters,  while  all  hurry  off  to 
their  stations.  In  a  few  minutes,  the  morning  inspection 


30  SCAMPAVIAS. 

of  the  crew  and  vessel  is  over — the  batteries  and  gear 
examined — the  retreat  sounds,  and  all  are  thrown  upon  their 
resources  of  duty  or  pleasure,  as  the  case  may  be.  The 
captain  and  executive  officer  visit  the  different  parts  of  the 
vessel,  to  see  if  all  is  in  a  state  of  order  and  cleanliness; 
the  lieutenants  exercise  the  divisions  at  the  great  guns  and 
small  arms ;  the  surgeons  make  their  professional  calls 
upon  the  sick,  and,  if  need  be,  the  mechanics  fall  to  work 
upon  the  canvas,  wood,  and  iron.  Every  one  has  some- 
thing to  do,  and  the  time  slips  on  to  noon,  when  the  sailing- 
master  gets  up  the  reckoning,  marks  off  the  ship's  run  upon 
the  charts,  and  the  crew  go  to  dinner. 

The  hours  again  creep  on,  until  a  little  before  three, 
when  the  beholder  may  remark  through  the  lattices  of  the 
wardroom  cabins,  the  inhabitants  thereof  putting  on  coats, 
and  making  other  preparations  of  the  toilet,  to  be  in 
readiness  for  dinner,  as  the  bell  strikes  six.  It  was,  with 
us,  and  is  commonly  on  board  a  well-regulated  and  har- 
monious ship,  the  most  cheerful  hour  of  the  day.  When 
the  clatter  of  removing  first  courses  partially  subsides, 
conversation  becomes  general;  and,  since  there  is  rarely  a 
man  to  be  found,  among  our  seafaring  tribe,  who  has  not 
visited  some  outlandish  spot  on  the  globe,  or  beheld  some 
strange  sight,  or  is  cognizant  of  some  remarkable  incident, 
that  his  brethren  have  not  seen,  heard,  or  dreamed  of,  it- 
follows  that  all,  in  turn,  enjoy  the  opportunity  of  giving 
out  their  experiences,  and  one  may  readily  imagine  that, 
with  narrators  like  sailor  cosmopolites,  there  is  often  a 
world  of  amusement  or  adventure  to  be  beguiled  with. 


THE     COCKPIT.  31 

And  oh,  my  messmates !  when  we  glance  back  upon  the 
many  merry,  jovial  hours  we  have  passed  together — when 
we  reflect  upon  the  fitful  changes  of  this  fleeting  life,  and 
of  the  black  lines  drawn,  by  those  below  us,  day  by  day, 
through  our  names  on  the  navy  list,  have  we  not  reason 
to  be  grateful  that  it  pleased  heaven  to  set  a  merciful  watch 
over  us,  as  individuals,  and  that  we  did  not  "  sleep  full  many 
a  fathom  deep,"  but  held  our  wind,  without  being  crippled 
in  spars  or  rigging,  under  full  sails  and  happy  auspices,  free 
from  jar  or  discord?  Well,  then,  my  friends,  I  am  with 
you  all,  in -spirit  once  more,  and  wherever  this  may  find 
you  wandering — in  green  or  blue  water,  in  storm  or  calm, 
under  torrid  or  temperate  suns — I  toss  off  a  glass  of  our  old 
"Pratz'  Pale"  to  your  health,  happiness,  and  speedy  pro- 
motion. Bismillah !  may  the  same  blessings  be  showered 
upon  the  head  of  the  drinker ! 

We  rarely  remained  longer  than  an  hour  at  table,  unless 
— as  was  the  custom  on  Sundays — the  commanding  officers 
dined  at  mess ;  then,  we  sat  a  bit  longer.  The  meal  over, 
forward  on  the  gun  deck  was  a  rendezvous,  where  chairs 
were  placed,  and  cigars  puffed  out  their  soothing  joys. 

At  six,  the  everlasting  drums  again  beat  to  quarters,  and, 
after  the  usual  inspection  of  guns  and  crew,  the  latter  are 
given  their  hammocks.  By  eight  bells  the  watch  is  set,  and 
the  Frigate  in  the  main  left  in  quiet. 

Then  the  duty  and  the  busy  hum  of  the  day  being  done, 
those  who  have  no  watch  near  at  hand,  invite  a  small  coterie 
of  good  fellows  to  their  rooms,  to  talk  over  the  past,  or 
scheme  for  the  future. 


32  SOAMPAVIAS. 

It  chanced  that  one  of  these  occasions  fell  upon  the  natal 
day  of  one  of  the  party.  The  individual  said  he  was  three- 
and-thirty.  It  was  decided,  however,  that  his  chronology 
was  incorrect.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  proposed  to  give  a 
fete,  and  not  wishing  to  disturb  the  slumbers  of  the  watch 
officers  in  the  gun  room,  volunteered  to  celebrate  the  event 
in  the  Pit.  Accordingly,  my  cabin  was  selected.  The  party 
assembled  at  an  early  hour,  and  on  reaching  the  lowest  step 
of  the  ladder,  were  transfixed  with  surprise  at  the  brilliant 
effect  of  the  preparations  made  for  their  reception. 

In  the  centre  of  the  little  cabin  stood  a  flat-topped  clothes 
basket,  on  which  was  spread  a  snow  white  napkin,  while 
above  there  towered  boldly  up  a  flask  of  Heidsick,  with  the 
wire  untwisted  from  the  neck,  and  the  taut  twine  eagerly 
waiting  to  be  severed  by  a  sharp  knife  at  the  side.  Glasses 
sparkled  on  the  basket,  and  cigars  too  were  sprinkled  about, 
for  any  person  who  chose  to  indulge  in  a  dry  smoke ;  since 
fire  smokes  were  not  tolerated  on  account  of  the  loaded 
shells  being  only  a  few  inches  beneath  our  feet.  On  the 
bureau  stood  a  brace  of  sperm  candles,  whose  refulgent  light 
reflected  from  the  mirror — the  Koh-i-noor  of  the  berth — 
threw  its  rays  into  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  apartment. 

Mr.  Jack  Toker,  in  virtue  of  his  rank  and  numerous 
progeny,  was  the  first  to  enter  these  precincts,  and  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  place  of  honor  on  a  small  camp-stool  situated 
in  a  retired  spot  between  the  bunk  and  bureau — vice  the 
basket.  The  secretary  being  accustomed  to  the  purlieus, 
got  to  his  place  on  the  bed  without  serious  difficulty.  Then 
came  Lorimer,  followed  by  Benedict,  who,  after  a  painful 


THE     COCKPIT.  33 

series  of  struggles  wriggled  to  seats  on  the  trunk.  Finally, 
Doctor  Bristles  effected  his  entree,  and  perched  himself  at 
once  on  top  of  the  wash-stand,  thereby  depriving  himself 
of  a  full  view  of  the  display  below,  in  consequence  of  the 
enormously  square  beam  which  bisected  the  cabin.  After 
this,  I  brought  up  the  rear,  and  planted  my  back  against  the 
door. 

Now,  here  we  were,  all  comfortably  arranged,  and  all 
peres  des  families,  save  Benedict,  who,  though  scorning  the 
yoke,  was  yet  admitted  amongst  us — the  elect — in  compli- 
ment to  his  generosity  in  furnishing  the  tipple.  After  a 
smiling  silence  for  a  few  seconds,  the  gentleman  whose  age 
was  a  mystery,  expressed  the  pleasure  he  enjoyed  in  meeting 
his  friends  on  the  anniversary  of  his  birth;  and  that  he 
would  take  advantage  of  the  occasion,  by  unsealing  a  casket 
presented  to  him  by  his  spouse  before  leaving  home.  Here- 
upon the  casket,  which  was  of  paper,  was  passed  around. 
It  was  pinched,  bit,  pressed,  weighed,  smelled,  shook,  turned 
and  twisted ;  and  surmises  were  rife  as  to  the  contents. 
Benedict  thought  it  was  something  good  to  eat,  declaring 
his  belief  that  it  was  gingerbread.  Jack  Toker,  however, 
swore  point  blank,  that  in  his  opinion  it  contained  a  collec- 
tion of  gold  watches  for  distribution  among  the  married 
men  of  the  mess.  This  conjecture  seemed  to  receive  great 
interest,  but  impatience  getting  the  better  of  our  curiosity, 
the  outer  casings  were  removed  forthwith  from  the  casket. 
What  was  hidden  there  I  am  bound  by  mine  oath  not 
to  reveal,  but  enough  to  say,  that  on  being  again  passed 
around  the  circle,  it  was  handled  in  the  most  respectful 

2* 


34:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

manner;     merely    peeped    into,    and     not    otherwise    dis- 
turbed. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  Bristles,  who  was  squeezed 
very  close  by  the  angle  of  the  bulkheads  on  his  elevated 
perch,  affirmed  that 

"  He  was  like  the  wife  of  Sir  Godfrey  Minchin, 
Who  didn't  mind  death,  but  couldn't  bear  pinchin," 

and,  moreover,  he  felt  sad,  and   believed  a  drop  of  cham- 
pagne would  cheer  him  up  a  bit. 

This  proposition  was  unanimously  concurred  in,  and  with- 
out further  palaver,  the  cords  of  the  cork  were  divided,  and, 
like  fire  to  a  fuze,  the  velvet  stopper  rose  briskly  from  its 
charge.  The  glasses  were  measured  by  the  wine  and  not  by 
the  foam,  and  a  toast  was  quaffed  to  the  wife  of  the  gen- 
tleman who  gave  the  fete.  While  lips  were  smacked,  and 
sighs  bubbled  up  in  the  fullness  of  our  joy,  Benedict  pro- 
duced a  small  box,  which,  upon  touching  a  spring,  out 
popped  a  minute  African  infant,  attired  in  a  pink  frock 
and  feathers.  This  was  intended  as  a  cadeau  to  the  baby  of 
the  gentleman  whose  age  was  still  a  mystery ;  whereupon  we 
all  bethought  ourselves  of  filling  the  goblets  again,  and 
draining  them  on  the  instant  to  the  above-mentioned  baby. 
This  ceremony  over,  it  was  suggested  by  Lorimer  to  begin 
seriatim,  and  drink  the  health  of  all  the  married  ladies,  and 
the  whole  to  conclude  with  the  children,  in  regular  suc- 
cession, according  to  age!  To  this  rather  comprehensive 
conviviality,  Benedict  loudly  demurred,  having,  after  a  hasty 
arithmetical  calculation,  discovered  the  aggregate  of  wives 


THE   COCKPIT.  35 

and  infants  to  amount  to  considerably  over  a  score ;  and 
since  he  was  expected  to  furnish  the  Heidsick,  he  concluded 
it  would  be  a  too  copious  drain  upon  his  stores  of  that  fluid. 
He  very  generously  compromised,  however,  by  dispatching 
our  cockpit  valet,  Patrick  Whack,  for  another  bottle,  when, 
taking  the  wives  in  one  lot,  and  the  babies  in  another,  it 
was  generally  admitted  that  the  full  honors  had  been  paid 
them. 

With  the  last  seething  foam  of  the  flask,  the  master-at- 
arms  tapped  gently  at  the  lattice,  and  in  a  subdued  tone 
of  voice,  announced  ten  o'clock,  and  the  lights  to  be  dowsed. 
Wishing  our  companion  of  the  uncertain  calendar  might  live 
like  the  frisky  old  girl, 

11  To  the  age  of  an  hundred  and  ten, 
And  die  by  a  fall  from  an  apple-tree  then;" 

the  guests  quietly  backed  out,  reversing  the  order  of  sailing 
upon  going  in,  and  groping  their  way  up  the  pit-ladder,  were 
no  more  heard  of  during  the  night. 


S  C  A  M  P  A  V  I  A  8. 


Chapter    II. 


"  Safely  in  harbor 

in  the  deep  nook,  where  once 


Thou  call'dst  me  up  at  midnight  to  fetch  dew 
From  the  still- vex'd  Berinoothes,  there  she's  hid, 
The  mariners  all  under  hatches  stowed ; 
Whom,  with  a  charm  join'd  to  their  suffer'd  labor, 
I  have  left  asleep :  and  for  the  rest  of  the  fleet, 
Which  I  dispersed,  they  have  all  met  again, 
And  are  upon  the  Mediterranean  flote." 


Gibel    Tarek. 

IT  was  on  the  seventh  of  June,  that  the  frigate  was  flying 
over  the  water,  going  on  her  course  like  a  belle  to  a  ball. 
We  had  sailed  past  the  Azores,  the  ocean  smooth  as  a  carpet, 


GIBEL   TAREK.  37 

the  sky  at  times  a  little  trade-cloudy,  with  the  light,  white 
fleece  occasionally  skimming,  like  gauze,  through  the 
heavens,  and  darkening  the  water  beneath ;  the  lovely 
mellow  moon,  too,  gleaming  large,  full,  and  soft,  putting  most 
of  the  stars  to  shame,  and  glowing  like  silver,  over  the 
rippling  waters.  Then  the  stately  Frigate,  all  alone  in  this 
magnificent  scene,  flooded  with  white  sails  upon  her  lofty 
masts,  up,  up,  there,  to  those  little  trucks,  which  almost 
touch  that  pale,  twinkling  planet,  while  her  broad  wings 
spread  far  out  on  either  side  the  darkened  hull,  as  the  sea 
rolls  back  in  sparkling  bubbles  from  her  bow,  and  opens  a 
path  before  her  resistless  power. 

The  bower  cables  had  been  bent ;  for  we  scented  the  land 
afar  off.  As  the  sun  colored  the  eastern  sky,  the  mountains 
of  Spain  and  Africa  developed  their  high  outlines,  and,  with 
the  advancing  light,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  entrance  of 
the  strait  of  Gibraltar.  In  a  few  hours,  aided  by  the  breeze 
and  current,  we  said  rapidly  past  Cape  Spartel  and  Tangier, 
on  the  one  side,  and  Trafalgar  and  Tarifa  on  the  other,  and 
soon  after  meridian,  the  frigate,  heeling  over  to  the  strong 
puffs  that  swept  through  the  gorges  of  Andalusia,  reached 
the  anchorage,  and  let  run  the  chains,  with  the  Devil's  Tower 
just  open  with  Gibel  Tarek,  or  the  rock  of  Gibraltar. 

A  health-boat,  with  a  boarding  officer,  was  soon  alongside. 
"  Where  were  we  from  ?  and  were  we  contagious  ?"  was  the 
pith  of  the  information  he  cared  to  elicit ;  and,  being  assured 
of  our  general  salubrity  and  freedom  from  infection,  he 
snapped  up  a  blank  bill  of  health  with  a  pair  of  sheet-iron 
tongs,  which,  being  properly  filled  out  by  the  surgeons,  was 


38  ScAMPAVIAS. 

received  again  by  the  tongs.  After  an  arm's-length 
inspection,  we  were  informed  that  we  might  communicate 
with  the  shore,  and  thus  we  received  what  is  called  pratique. 

In  a  few  minutes  those  jolly  souls,  the  bumboat  people, 
came  bobbing  about  the  frigate ;  their  pipes,  bread,  tobacco, 
fruits,  straw  hats,  fried  fish,  oranges,  eggs,  and  onions,  piled 
in  promiscuous  heaps  in  their  boats,  while  the  venders  were 
clamorously  profuse  in  offers  of  sand  and  holystones  to  the 
first  lieutenant,  for  the  privilege  of  supplying  the  crew. 

The  bumboats  were  soon  followed  by  other  vessels  filled 
with  soldiers'  wives  and  maidens  generally,  each  provided 
with  letters  of  recommendation,  as  washerwomen,  which  they 
held  above  their  heads  to  attract  some  sympathizing  officer's 
eye,  who  might,  perchance,  be  afflicted  with  soiled  linen. 

Presently  our  young  consul  came  on  board,  looking  a  smaller 
edition  of  his  patriotic  father  before  him,  and  then  the  thun- 
der of  twenty-one  guns  officially  informed  the  governor  of  the 
fortress  of  our  arrival,  to  which  the  water-battery,  at  the 
ragged  staff,  replied  in  similar  tones,  when,  with  nine  more 
by  us  to  the  consul,  the  powder  was  locked  up  in  the  magazine. 

I  went  on  shore,  and  landed  at  the  old  mole,  amid  the 
crowd  of  quaint  latteen-rigged  luggers,  with  their  picturesque 
sails  and  hulls  shading  the  quay. 

I  touched  my  hat  to  the  same  scarlet-coated  soldier,  on 
guard,  at  the  pier-head ;  pushed  my  way  through  the  same 
throng  of  Moors,  in  their  petticoat  breeches;  a  thorough 
cluster  of  chibouque-sucking  Turks ;  Jews,  with  pointed 
beards  and  eyes ;  Andalusians,  all  a-jingle  with  silver  buttons 
and  velvet  jackets ;  through  smugglers,  boatmen,  porters,  and 


GIBEL    TAREK.  39 

vagabonds  that  I  had  seen,  or  others,  may  be,  just  like  them, 
years  and  years  before.  Then  over  the  moat,  under  the  portcul- 
lis, through  ponderous  gates  and  strong  pickets — all  the  while 
touching  the  point  of  my  cocked  hat,  right  and  left,  to  the 
sentinels  on  post — until,  at  last,  I  gained  a  little  street-room 
in  the  main  avenue  of  the  town. 

Here  the  crowd  thinned  a  little ;  but  yet  there  was  no 
lack.  Plenty  of  Moors  still,  with  tawny  legs,  and  full  snowy 
turbans ;  hosts  of  Levites,  with  hawk-bill  noses,  and  usurious 
eyes ;  lots  of  guides  to  the  excavations  and  batteries ;  droves 
of  small  buros,  with  their  drivers  and  water-butts;  groups 
of  bustling,  florid-faced  Englishmen,  dark-skinned  Spaniards, 
and  merchant-skippers ;  then  an  interval  of  healthy-looking 
English  women,  or  mantilla-robed  brunettas,  from  San 
Roque  or  Algeziras — all  these  moving  throngs  dotted  about 
with  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison.  There  they  are,  at  the 
corners,  on  the  pave,  in  the  streets,  craning  out  of  e\3ry 
window  of  that  great  range  of  barracks,  fatigue-parties 
moving  backwards  and  forwards,  guard-houses  filled  with 
them,  everywhere,  save  in  the  wine  shops ;  then  officers,  too 
brilliant  in  red  and  blue,  lace,  bullion,  and  swords,  greeting 
one  at  all  times  and  in  every  quarter.  To  one  fond  of 
military  display,  there  is  no  better  place  for  this  enjoyment 
than  in  Gibraltar.  English  troops,  though  more  rigid  and 
stiff  in  movement  than  the  French,  still  fill  the  eye  very 
pleasantly ;  for,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  they  are  picked 
men,  of  fine  stature,  and,  so  far  as  cleanliness  of  dress  and 
elegance  of  equipment  go,  they  are  unexceptionable. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  garrison  was  composed  of 


40  SCAMPAVIAS. 

four  regiments  of  foot,  five  companies  of  artillery,  and  one 
of  sappers.  It  was  one  of  these  regiments,  the  44th,  that  had 
the  opportunity  of  distinguishing  themselves  at  the  memor- 
able Bladensburg  races,  and  to  this  day  carry  that  name 
inscribed  on  their  colors. 

After  a  visit  to  the  consul,  I  strolled  to  the  Alameda — 
a  flat  esplanade,  bevelled  from  the  face  of  the  rock,  and 
where,  even  now,  the  monkeys  sometimes  descend  from  their 
subterranean  retreats  to  watch  how  the  world  wags,  and  to 
note,  perhaps,  how  well  the  pretty  groves  of  orange  trees 
and  shrubbery  thrive  in  their  former  haunts.  Even  in  this 
promenade,  there  are  everywhere  seen  great  pyramidal 
stacks  of  cannon-balls  and  ranges  of  grim  cannon  staring  out 
upon  the  bay. 

As  all  the  world  knows,  Gibraltar  is  an  isolated  rock, 
about  fourteen  hundred  feet  high,  with  a  ridge  as  sharp  as 
a  wedge ;  narrow  for  its  length  of  three  miles ;  which  may 
once  have  been  standing  by  itself,  nearly  midway  of  the 
strait  between  Africa  and  Europe.  It  has  not,  however, 
changed  its  relative  position  in  that  respect;  but  the  low 
sand-link,  which  connects  it  by  the  neutral  ground  to  Spain, 
has  probably  been  formed  by  the  meeting  currents  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Mediterranean.  On  the  side  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean it  is  precipitous,  but  it  shelves  less  abruptly  on  the 
western  face,  towards  the  bay,  where  the  town  is  built. 

The  renowned  excavations  are  on  the  northern  point, 
where  the  sheer,  red  rock  rises  almost  perpendicularly, 
overlooking,  as  from  the  eyrie  of  an  eagle,  the  green  slopes 
of  the  hills  of  Andalusia,  in  the  distance. 


GlBELTAKEK.  4:1 

The  galleries  and  batteries  constructed  there,  were  the 
result  of  a  happy  accident  in  war,  during  the  assault  of  the 
Spanish  and  French  forces,  in  1782.  Previously,  a  small 
battery  had  been  planted  on  the  northernmost  peak  of 
the  rock;  but,  to  reach  this  spot,  many  lives  of  the  gar- 
rison were  lost  in  carrying  supplies  by  an  exposed  path, 
under  the  fire  of  the  allies,  the  muzzles  of  whose  guns  were 
elevated  by  bags  filled  with  sand. 

To  remove  this  necessity  of  exposure,  the  English  engi- 
neers began  to  cut  a  means  of  ascent  by  a  channel  within 
the  shell  of  the  mountain.  In  executing  this  work,  and 
when  about  half-way  up,  while  blasting  in  the  gallery,  a 
fragment  of  rock  was  blown  clean  out  towards  the  Isthmus, 
which,  upon  being  discovered  by  the  allies,  was  welcomed  by 
shouts  of  derision. 

The  besiegers  were  n-ot  left  many  hours  to  exult  over 
this  accident ;  for,  in  the  natural  embrasure  caused  by  the 
explosion,  a  heavy  piece  of  ordnance  was  pointed,  and  the 
nearest  batteries  below  were  obliged  to  abandon  their 
positions. 

In  all  the  sieges  for  which  Gibraltar  has  become  his- 
torical, the  most  desperate,  determined,  and  prolonged  were 
those  repulsed  by  General  Eliot,  afterwards  Lord  Heathfield. 
He  married  a  descendant  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who  was, 
himself,  one  of  the  boldest  old  viking  freebooters  that  ever 
scuttled  ship ;  and  should  their  descendants  be  imbued  with 
the  blood  of  that  union,  Britannia  will  never  lack,  in  that 
family,  sailors  to  rule  the  main,  or  soldiers  to  lead  her 
armies. 


4:2  SCAMPAVIAB. 

There  is  a  club-house  for  strangers,  in  the  town,  whither 
I  betook  myself,  and  swallowed  an  imperial  pint  of  ale;  for, 
of  all  things, 

"  my  soul  sentimentally  craves 

British  beer !" 

and  a  free  English  port  is  the  place  to  drink  it  in  perfection. 
Then,  buckling  my  sword  about,  I  bent  my  steps  to  the  mole 
again. 

As  the  sunset-gun,  from  the  summit  of  the  rock  at  St. 
Michael's,  poured  forth  its  report,  I  passed  through  the 
sombre  archways  ;  the  gates  rolled  together,  the  portcullis 
came  down,  the  draw-bridge  went  up,  and  all  the  Gibraltar 
world  were  made  sensible  that  the  fortress  was  locked  up, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  I  knew  myself  to  be  locked  out  for 
the  night.  Thus,  being  left  to  my  own  devices,  I  got  into 
one  of  the  frigate's  boats,  and  pulled  to  my  floating  home 
on  board. 

On  the  following  day,  in  virtue  of  mine  office  as  one  of 
the  staff,  I  went  on  a  visit  of  ceremony  to  the  governor  of 
the  fortress,  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Robert  Gardner,  K.C.B. 
The  official  residence  is  at  a  former  convent,  near  the  centre 
of  the  old  town.  We  were  received  at  the  gateway  by  a 
brace  of  aids-de-camp,  who  at  once  ushered  us  up  a  cool, 
spacious  stairway  to  the  second  story.  Then  traversing  a 
broad  corridor,  which  overlooked  a  gem  of  a  garden  and 
lemon  grove,  and  where,  no  doubt,  in  times  past,  many  an 
old  friar  or  imprisoned  nun  regaled  themselves,  while  telling 
over  their  aromatic  beads,  we  reached  the  end  of  the  hall, 
and  were,  in  a  moment,  in  the  presence  of  General  Gardner. 


GlBELTAEEK.  43 

He  was  a  tall,  elderly  gentleman,  on  the  advanced  posts 
of  life,  with  silvery  hair,  fine  eyes,  and  a  cordial,  pleasant 
expression  of  visage.  He  wore  an  artillery  uniform,  and 
on  his  breast  a  Waterloo  medal.  He  received  us  very 
graciously,  but  apologized  for  being  deprived  of  the  pleasure 
of  granting  more  than  a  moment's  interview,  since  he  had 
been  commanded  to  attend  the  Archduke  Maximilian  of 
Austria  to  the  ragged  staff,  prior  to  the  embarkation  of  that 
illustrious  personage  for  Cadiz. 

This  young  brother  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  by  the 
way,  was  serving  as  a  lieutenant  on  board  a  steamer  of 
War.  lying  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  the  bay.  Contrary, 
however,  to  the  usual  naval  etiquette,  the  commander  of  the 
steamer  did  not  send  a  boat  on  board  the  American  frigate, 
to  inquire  after  our  well-being.  The  omission  was  possibly 
attributable  to  the  bad  name  M.  Kossuth  had  given  us  in 
the  dominions  of  the  House  of  Hapsburgh.  Our  grief, 
however,  at  this  slight,  was  not  of  a  permanent  nature ;  and 
we  hoped,  at  some  future  day,  to  teach  the  subjects  of  that 
house  better  manners. 

We  took  leave  of  the  governor,  returned  to  the  mole,  and 
rowing  through  a  fleet  of  felucca-smugglers,  watching  a  chance 
to  evade  the  Spanish  gun-boats,  we  reached  the  frigate. 

On  getting  on  board,  the  wind  was  blowing  too  fresh  from 
the  westward  to  get  under  way,  from  the  position  the  ship 
lay ;  and  it  was  only  when  the  sun  fell  behind  the  mountains 
of  Spain,  that  the  wind  lulled  sufficiently  to  make  sail. 

Ships  I  have  always  believed  to  have  been  the  invention  of 
the  foul  Fiend  himself;  for  it  matters  not  how  great  care 


44  S  CAMP  A  VI  AS. 

or  forethought  be  exercised  in  their  peculiar  management, 
there  is,  at  the  most  inopportune  moment,  a  screw  loose,  or 
something  to  go  wrong,  that  our  arch  enemy,  the  inventor, 
delights  in. 

The  trouble  this  evening  with  us  was.  the  refusal  of  the 
rope-messenger,  used  to  draw  in  the  chain-cable,  to  clasp  the 
capstan  tight  enough  to  heave  up  the  anchor.  It  would  keep 
slipping  around  the  oaken  barrel,  and  no  skill  or  contrivance 
would  make  it  hold. 

At  last,  however,  the  anchor  was  dragged  just  clear  of  the 
bottom,  but  when  canvas  was  spread  upon  the  ship,  she 
fell  off  into  shoaler  water,  so  that  the  infernal  grapnel  would 
take  to  the  ground  again,  and  then  we  went  waltzing  about 
the  bay.  Vessels,  too,  were  all  around  us;  but  by  the 
mere  force  of  good  luck,  we  avoided  them  very  cleverly, 
and,  notwithstanding  our  perplexities,  we  passed  clear  out 
in  a  style  which  would  have  called  forth  the  utmost  admira- 
tion from  the  British  fleet,  had  they  beheld  our  lucky 
manoeuvrings.  As  we  got  into  deep  water,  the  obstinate 
anchors  were  brought  to  the  bows,  and  we  steered  for  the 
open  strait. 

The  giant  fortress  reposed  like  a  lion  couchant  in  silent 
security,  just  as  it  did,  no  doubt,  when  the  Moors,  in  712,  built 
their  castles  on  it ;  when  Barbarossa's  Algerine  corsairs 
pillaged  it  in  1540;  when  John  Bull  planted  his  paws  upon 
it  at  the  storming  in  1704  ;  or  afterwards,  when  the  brave 
Eliot,  in  1782,  withstood  the  terrible  siege  of  the  allies  for 
three  years.  In  short,  from  the  remotest  ages,  this  Rock  of 
Gibraltar — this  pillar  of  Hercules — is  still  the  same. 


GlBELTAREK.  45 

In  all  the  strifes  and  changes  in  which  Gibraltar  has  borne 
so  prominent  a  part,  there  may  have  been  seen  more  mon- 
keys clambering  about  the  rocky  heights,  more  ships  in 
the  bay,  more  soldiers  on  the  land,  more  murderous,  fiery 
missiles  flying  through  the  air, 

"  The  bursting  shell,  the  gateway  rent  asunder, 
The  rattling  musketry,  the  clashing  blade, 
And,  ever  and  anon,  in  tones  of  thunder, 
The  diapason  of  the  cannonade," 

with,  perhaps,  less  to  eat  and  drink  than  in  these  peaceful 
times ;  but  yet,  without  the  aid  of  any  grand  convulsion 
of  nature,  it  does  not  seem  improbable  that  this  hoary,  sturdy 
monarch  of  rocks  may,  again  and  again,  be  an  indifferent 
witness  to  bloodier  and  more  terrible  scenes  than  these. 

As  the  frigate  slowly  sailed  along  the  base  of  the  rock, 
thousands  of  lights  sparkled  in  the  town ;  the  nine  o'clock 
gun  pealed  out  its  nightly  warning,  while  the  drums,  flutes, 
and  bugles  echoed  from  point  to  point.  Soon,  however,  we 
rounded  Europa,  and  then,  as  we  stood  fairly  into  the  Medi- 
terranean, the  clusters  of  lights  were  shut  from  our  sight,  the 
music  was  lost  in  the  distance,  and  at  midnight  the  dim,  red 
gleam  of  the  light-house  only  marked  where  Gibraltar  lay,  in 
its  pride  and  power. 

The  following  morning  we  were  running,  with  a  free  wind, 
along  the  Spanish  coast.  We  were  too  far  off  to  catch  more 
than  an  unclouded  view  of  the  back-ground  ;  but  that  was  in 
itself  magnificent.  The  topmost  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
were  clearly  cut  against  the  far-distant  sky,  shining  cold  and 
white  with  the  winter  snows. 


4:6  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Passing  out  of  sight  of  Malaga,  Almeria,  and  lesser  ports, 
by  evening  we  were  abreast  Cape  de  Gatt. 

The  breeze  held  fair  during  the  night,  and  the  next  day, 
after  passing  Cape  Palos,  we  descried  the  English  fleet. 
It  was  composed  of  five  ships  of  the  line,  and  two  frigates. 
Four  of  the  majestic  two-deckers  stood  in  shore,  by  the  wind, 
while  the  rearmost  vessel  held  towards  the  Cumberland.  As 
she  approached,  we  beat  to  quarters,  cast  loose  the  guns,  and 
cleared  for  action,  merely  by  way  of  friendly  precaution,  and 
the  practice  with  men-of-war  upon  meeting  one  another  on 
the  high  seas. 

After  a  mutual  exhibition  of  pennants  and  ensigns,  the 
Englishman  put  his  helm  down,  and  slowly  went  around 
towards  the  land,  while  at  the  same  time  he  triced  up  his 
lower  gun-deck  ports  to  show  his  teeth,  and  to  let  us  know, 
that  he,  too,  was  ready  with  the  black-mouthed  cannon,  to 
belch  forth  red  flame  and  destruction,  should  the  necessity 
arise. 

Fortunately  the  necessity  did  not  arise,  and  we  thought, 
with  the  Spaniards,  it  were  better  to  have 

11  Con  todo  el  tmtndo  guerra 
Ypaa  con  Inglaterraf* 

and  so  we  both  departed  on  our  several  missions ;  he  to 
inform  his  admiral  that  he  had  shown  his  ensign  to  an 
American  frigate,  and  we  to  keep  on  our  course  to  the  south- 
ward of  the  Balearic  Isles. 

Passing  Formentera,  Majorca,  and  Minorca,  our  progress, 
somewhat  hastened  by  a  clear,  cool  snap  of  a  mistral  out  of 


GIBEL    TAREK.  47 

the  gulf  of  Lyons,  the  lofty,  bold  mountains  of  Corsica  and 
Sardinia  loomed  up  before  us.  Then,  heaving  about,  we 
worked  up  towards  the  Italian  coast,  and  a  month  from 
the  day  we  sailed  from  Boston  saw  us  overshadowed  by 
the  grand  Apennines,  whose  high,  shining  summits  of  glacier 
and  snow  broke  out  clear  and  sharp  above  our  heads. 

With  the  early  morn  we  entered  the  gulf  of  Spezia,  and 
dropped  anchor  near  the  Lazaretto. 


48  So  AMPA  VI  AS  . 


Chapter    III. 

"  But  many  a  peopled  city  tow'rs  around, 
And  many  a  rocky  cliff  with  castle  crown'd, 
And  many  an  antique  wall  whose  hoary  brow 
O'ershades  the  flood  that  guards  the  base  below." 

La    S  p  e  z  i  a. 

THE  Gulf  of  Spezia  is  an  arm  of  the  Mediterranean,  on 
the  eastern  confines  of  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia,  about 
midway  between  Genoa  and  Leghorn.  It  is  six  miles  in 
length,  and  nearly  four  in  width  at  the  mouth.  The  land 
is  high  all  around,  from  the  cap  of  Mount  Napoleon,  which 
overhangs  Porto  Venere  on  the  western  side,  to  the  rough, 
iaoreed  ridares  of  the  Carrara  Mountains  back  of  Lerici,  and 

v     OS  O 

the  river  Magra  towards  Tuscany.  The  projecting  head- 
lands run  upward  and  backward  in  steep  spurs  from  the 
water's  edge,  until  they  fall  gradually  away  into  the  smooth 
upper  surfaces  of  the  more  portly  hills.  Within  these  pro- 
jecting headlands  are  secluded  harbors,  and  at  every  curving 
indentation  is  a  quaint,  old  villagio  with  a  still  quainter 
church,  reposing  amid  a  nest  of  cypresses,  upon  the  verdant 
cheek  of  a  ravine,  or  struggling  over  the  acclivities  half 
shows  the  picturesque  old  tower  and  gable,  peering  out  from 
the  dell  beyond. 


S  P  E  Z  I  A  .  49 

The  arms  of  the  gulf  exhibit  ever-varying  and  interminable 
beauties  of  landscape.  Sides,  slopes,  and  valleys  are  covered 
and  crowned  by  terraced  groves  of  olives,  corn  and  vines; 
and  within  each  of  the  radiating  gorges  on  the  western 
shore,  are  tortuous  pathways  leading  to  the  heights  above ; 
where,  amid  bounding  water- courses,  light  moss-covered 
arches  spanning  the  torrents  at  intervals,  you  catch  at  every 
succeeding  elevation  the  most  charming  views  possible  to 
imagine.  It  is  not  only  around  you ;  where  the  sombre 
clefts  in  the  hills  are  sheltered  from  the  sunlight;  or  the 
gurgling  rivulet  scoops  in  unceasing  eddying  circles  a  bowl 
out  of  that  hard  marble  below  the  cascade ;  or,  the  bright 
patches  of  grain  glowing  at  your  feet ;  but  it  is  where  the 
eye  looks  down  upon  the  plain  and  well  tilled  gardens  of 
Spezia,  with  the  little  city,  the  old,  crumbling,  black  fortifi- 
cation toppling  over  it ;  and  glancing  around  further,  in 
every  gap  and  on  every  height  stands  a  rare  old  hamlet 
embowered  in  the  green.  Then  sweeping  on  around  the 
opposite  side,  over  that  strip  of  deep,  blue  gulf,  are  those 
chill  snow-peaks  of  the  Carrara,  whiter  far  than  the  marble 
within  their  breasts. 

If  we  mount  higher,  here  up  on  this  rough-hewn  deserted 
fort  of  Napoleon,  we  embrace  the  coast  on  either  hand  from 
Genoa  to  Leghorn ;  with  the  islands  of  Capraja  and  Corsica 
so  dimly  seen  away  there  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon ; 
those  little  dots  of  rocky  islets,  Tino  and  Tinetto  here  at 
hand ;  the  Mediterranean  rolling  so  calmly  beyond,  and  still 
trace  it  in  all  its  angles  and  curves,  with  the  waves  dashing 
in  angry  force  at  your  feet ;  and  then  it  is  you  will  tell  me 

3 


50  SCAMPAVIAS. 

you  never  saw  a  more  magnificent  coup  d'ceil  of  land  and 
sea  together. 

I  should,  perhapsj  have  mentioned  ere  this,  that  the  town 
of  Spezia  lies  at  the  head  of  the  horse-shoe  shaped  gulf, 
•where  the  surrounding  mountains  recede  in  a  wide  valley, 
leaving  a  triangular  plain  for  the  city  to  rest  upon.  The 
houses  are  high,  and  the  streets  narrow,  but  well  paved 
with  blocks  of  marble  from  the  inexhaustible  quarries 
around ;  and  the  houses,  too,  are  of  that  sensible  construc- 
tion, so  well  understood  in  the  Old  World,  where  one  may 
go  safely  to  sleep  without  the  risk  of  being  charred  to  a 
cinder  by  a  conflagration  of  the  premises  before  morning ! 
There  are,  besides,  churches  and  monasteries  of  Franciscans 
and  Capucini,  with  a  pretty  bower  of  a  garden  on  the  shores 
of  the  Bay. 

Abreast  the  anchorage  for  ships  of  war,  is  the  Lazaretto, 
built  on  a  prong  which  separates  the  little  harbor-nooks  of 
the  Quarantine  and  Grazie.  The  Lazaretto  itself  is  the 
finest  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  A  paved  quay  and 
causeway  leads  through  a  gateway  from  Grazie  to  the  cluster 
of  buildings  which  compose  the  magazines  and  dwellings 
of  the  officials.  They  are  three  stories  high,  having  the 
lower  apartments  for  merchandise  of  a  perishable  nature. 
Leaving  this  quadrangle  by  a  slight  ascent  is  another  of 
great  dimensions,  paved  with  smooth  blocks  of  marble,  with 
vast  ranges  of  store-houses  on  all  sides,  and  all  solidly  built, 
spacious,  and  well  ventilated.  Beyond  is  a  pretty  chapel 
looking  into  the  grand  court-yard,  where  is  also  a  hospital, 
infirmary,  quarters,  and  barracks  for  a  full  legion ;  while 


S  P  E  Z  I  A  .  51 

the   entire   series  of   buildings    are   supplied   with    running 
streams  of  pure  fresh  water. 

It  is  at  this  grand  Lazaretto  that  the  Sardinian  govern- 
ment, with  the  utmost  liberality  and  courtesy,  has  permitted 
our  squadron  in  the  Mediterranean  to  form  a  depot  for 
stores ;  not  fearing  either  the  spread  of  republican  doctrines 
from  our  ships  while  lying  in  their  ports ;  and  quite  in 
contrast  to  the  Spaniards,  who  politely  informed  us  at 
Mahon  that  our  room  was  preferable  to  our  society.  We 
should,  at  the  same  time,  be  very  much  indebted  to  Sardinia 
for  this  mark  of  her  good  will,  for  in  all  the  Mediterranean 
there  cannot  be  found  the  same  uninterrupted  security  and 
facilities  for  ships  of  war  as  in  Spezia. 


S  0  AMP  A  V  I  A  S. 


Chapter   IV. 

'  Though  the  worms  gnaw  his  timbers,  his  vessel  a  wreck, 
When  he  hears  the  last  whistle,  he'll  jump  upon  deck." 


The  Last  of  Poor  Jack. 

THE  afternoon  of  the  day  of  our  arrival  in  La  Spezia,  while 
sitting  in  my  little  cabin  in  the  pit,  I  was  startled  by  a  sound 
that  jarred  the  whole  ship,  like  the  report  of  a  heavy  piece 
of  ordnance.  From  the  deathlike  stillness  which  instantly 
prevailed  above,  I  knew  something  serious  had  happened,  and 
at  once  sprang  to  the  main  deck.  Going  forward,  I  met  a 


THE    LAST    OF   POOR    JACK.  53 

group  of  men,  bearing  in  their  arms  a  poor  moaning  wretch, 
who  had  just  fallen  from  aloft.  He  had  pitched  out  of  the 
forward  rim  of  the  fore-top — a  height  of  near  sixty  feet — and 
whirled  over  and  over  like  a  wheel  until  he  struck  the  deck. 
There  was  no  hope  in  life  for  him,  and  lingering  along  to  mid- 
night, he  breathed  out  his  last  sigh  of  agony.  Then  he  was 
laid  out  on  the  gun  deck,  his  mutilated  limbs  cold  and  stiff, 
shrouded  in  the  Union  Jack  of  his  country,  and  ready  to  be 
consigned  to  the  dust  of  the  generations  who  had  gone  before 
him.  He  died  a  sailor's  death,  unwept,  unknown,  remote 
from  home  or  kindred.  This,  alas !  was  not  the  only  mishap 
that  befell  us.  We  lost,  at  a  later  day,  a  messmate,  under 
still  more  sad  and  deplorable  circumstances. 

The  following  afternoon,  the  burial  service  was  performed 
on  board,  over  the  body  of  the  topman,  and  then  with  the 
frigate's  boats,  the  floating  procession  moved  slowly,  to 
solemn  music,  with  flags  trailing  in  the  water,  towards  the 
shore.  I  joined  the  party,  for  I  have  always  made  it  a  rule 
of  action  to  pay  proper  respect  to  the  remains  of  Poor  Jack. 
It  may  be  remembered  one  of  these  days,  I  hope,  when  my 
bad  deeds  are  arrayed  in  judgment  before  me. 

We  rowed  to  the  head  of  Grazie  Cove,  where,  on  the  side 
of  the  secluded  inlet,  stands  a  quaint  old  church,  sliding  as  it 
were  down  the  steep,  and  surrounded  by  terraced  plantations 
of  figs,  olives,  and  grapes.  At  its  base,  curving  with  the 
bend  of  the  shore,  is  a  cluster  of  fishermen's  dwellings,  and 
facing  them  was  a  small  fleet  of  feluccas,  with  their  lateen 
sails,  brown  nets,  and  awnings  fluttering  in  the  breeze. 

Sweeping    alongside    the    marble    quay,    the    corpse   was 


54  ScAMPAVIAS. 

landed  and  the  sailors  disembarked.  A  pretty  little  girl, 
with  a  cheek  of  the  dark,  rich  hue  of  a  ripe  pomegranate, 
timidly  approached  and  laid  a  bunch  of  bright  flowers  on  the 
flag  which  shrouded  the  coffin.  A  priest  began  his  chant, 
and  we  moved  up  the  pathway  and  entered  the  church. 
While  the  service  was  performing,  I  stole  a  glance  around 
the  Fisherman's  Temple — for  such  it  is,  and  the  spot  where 
many  a  devotee  of  fish  and  salt  water  had  been  to  offer  up 
his  simple  tribute  at  the  shrine  of  saint  or  virgin,  in  whose 
army  he  served.  From  the  polished  rails  of  the  altar  to  the 
rude  groinings  of  the  arches  above  our  heads,  the  chapel  was 
plentifully  decorated  with  sea-shells,  miniature  vessels,  and 
other  nautical  treasures,  hung  up  as  votive  offerings. 

Every  one  had  crowded  into  the  church ;  the  little  ones 
were  kneeling,  with  fingers  crossed,  and  lips  moving  in  mimic 
prayer,  looking  on  in  childlike  wonder,  but  yet  with  an  air 
of  truthful  piety ;  while  all  around,  the  dark-tanned  disciples 
of  the  nets,  and  our  own  sailors,  bowed  their  uncovered 
heads  in  mute  devotion. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  we  passed  out  from  the 
little  chiesa,  and,  forming  again  in  procession,  bore  the  coffin 
to  a  retired  place  of  sepulture  some  distance  up  the  hillside, 
where  we  left  our  shipmate  to  his  long  sleep  of  death. 

Like  the  music  which  plays  the  liveliest  airs  after  the 
solemn  dirges  at  these  sad  obsequies  are  ended,  so  did  a 
band  of  us  leave  the  boats,  after  pulling  to  the  head  of  the 
adjacent  cove,  and  leaping  gaily  on  shore,  tripped  over  the 
smooth  road  towards  the  town. 

Our  walk  was  a  very  pleasant  one.     The  well-tilled  plan- 


THE    LAST    OF    POOR    JACK.  55 

tations  and  gardens  were  strewn  at  our  feet,  as  the  road 
wound  around  the  jutting  promontories  and  rocky  cliffs,  or 
receding  in  easy  beaches,  spanned  at  intervals  by  solid  little 
bridges  over  the  beds  of  water-courses.  Then  we  passed 
through  queer  little  towns,  and  heard  the  cracked  bells  of  a 
chapel  tinkling  slowly,  guarded  by  tall  and  silent  cypresses, 
like  sentinels  in  green,  as  if  to  protect  the  worshipers 
within.  Above  our  path,  far  up  yonder  by  the  steep  and 
riven  sides  of  the  mountains,  the  boom  of  the  quarry-blasts 
came  reverberating  faintly  to  our  ears ;  the  terraces  rose  tier 
upon  tier,  wherever  a  basketful  of  earth  could  be  held,  and 
all  teeming  with  grain,  figs,  and  olive  groves,  or  the  vine 
trailed  from  tree  to  tree  in  graceful  links. 

Then,  too,  the  glorious  Gulf  was  ever  beneath  us.  Not 
only  rippling  in  tiny  waves  about  the  base  of  the  rocks ;  or 
eddying,  like  a  young  Maelstrom,  around  that  wonderful 
submarine  fountain  of  sweet  water — La  Polla — which  bubbles 
up  there  the  third  of  a  cable's  length — five  fathoms  deep — 
from  the  point ;  but  the  Gulf  rolls  away  off  to  the  opposite 
shore,  at  the  spot  where  Byron  lived  with  La  Guiccioli ;  or, 
still  further  out  to  sea,  where  the  waves  break  harshly 
and  meaningly  upon  that  blue  cape  where  poor  Shelley  met 
his  watery  grave. 

In  all  and  everywhere  the  views  are  beautiful ;  to  say 
nothing  of  its  being  renowned  in  ancient  story,  or  what 
we  should  consider  more  gratefully,  that  Mr.  John  Murray's 
wonder-mongering  boa-constrictors  have  not  as  yet  entirely 
swallowed  up  the  charms  of  the  Gulf  in  his  universal  guide- 
books. 


56  SCAMPAVIAS. 

After  tramping  through  the  old,  verde-antique-loo  king- 
fisher villages  of  Fezzana  and  Marola — where  huge  blocks 
of  dark-veined  marble  were  lying  ready  for  shipping — we 
passed  on  towards  Spezia.  It  was  Sunday,  and  also  a  fete 
day,  and  groups  of  tidily  dressed  peasants  in  holiday  attire, 
the  women  in  the  little  contadini  straw  hats — scarcely  smaller 
than  ladies  chapeaux  of  the  present  day — were  wending 
their  steps  with  us  to  the  town.  On  the  left,  perched  on 
a  grassy  ledge  before  a  rural  chapel,  was  a  concourse  of 
peasantry  dancing  joyously,  white 

"  The  contadino's  song  is  heard, 

Rude,  but  made  sweet  by  distance." 

Traversing  a  broad  causewayed  road,  shaded  by  a  double  line 
of  acacias,  we  reached  the  public  garden,  which  was  bloom- 
ing in  flowers  and  shrubbery.  A  little  way  beyond  was 
the  new  and  handsome  Albergo  of  the  Croce  di  Malta, 
standing  within  sixty  yards  of  the  water;  while  at  a  con- 
venient distance  in  front,  was  a  gaily-painted  marine  hamlet 
of  bathing  houses,  with  each  a  separate  bridge  leading  to  the 
shore. 

The  old  walls  of  Spezia,  dating  back  to  the  close  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  begin  with  a  hoary  castle  standing  guard 
at  the  angle  of  a  steep  acclivity  back  of  the  town,  flanked  by 
what  had  been,  before  cannon  were  introduced,  a  redoubt  on 
an  eminence  in  the  rear.  The  walls  turn  down  at  right 
angles  from  this  point,  and,  protected  by  small  bastions, 
formerly  acted  as  a  sea-wall  to  the  town. 

On   a   bluff  hill,   beyond   the   walls,  which    stands   with 


THE    LAST    OF    POOR    JACK.  57 

the  foot  of  a  giant  over  the  Gulf,  is  a  Capucin  monastery. 
In  later  days,  I  frequently  visited  this  snug  retreat,  to  enjoy 
the  glorious  views — and  sneeze — being  always  regaled  with 
snuff — with  the  jolly  friars.  There  were  fifteen  of  these 
worthies,  "  rare,  fat,  notable  fellows  as  any  in  Vienna  I  trow," 
sleek,  bright-eyed,  and  rosy,  who  had  no  care  but  the  supply 
of  their  larder,  and  no  women,  apparently,  to  meddle  with 
their  domestic  economy. 

We  wandered  about  the  pretty  garden  by  the  Marina, 
where  a  regimental  band  was  playing,  and  the  townspeople 
and  strangers  who  had  come  to  indulge  in  sea-bathing,  were 
lounging  about  the  vicinity.  There  were  soldiers,  too,  men- 
dicants and  priests  in  abundance.  These  latter  were  of  the 
tricornered  hat  species,  with  extravagantly  profuse  gowns, 
and  nothing  peculiarly  artistic  for  a  sculptor  to  admire  in  the 
study  of  legs.  They  were  quite  unlike  my  favorites  the 
Capucini — as  the  song  goes : 

"  For  a  monk  of  La  Trappe  is  as  thin  as  a  rat, 
While  a  Capucin  friar  is  jolly  and  fat." 

As  the  mellow  soft  glow  of  sunset  fell  dreamily  over  the 
waters  of  the  Gulf,  we  embarked  from  a  little  jutting  pier  of 
the  town,  and  before  the  pale  silver  beams  of  the  moon  had 
tipped  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Apennines  we  were  again  on 
board  the  frigate. 


58 


S  C  A  M  P  A  V  I 


A  S  . 


Chapter    V. 

"  Let  us  go  round ; 

And  let  the  sail  be  slack,  the  course  be  slow, 
That  at  our  leisure,  as  we  coast  along, 
We  may  contemplate,  and  from  every  scene 
Receive  its  influence." 


Santa    Lucia. 

THE  Frigate  picked  up  her  anchors  out  of  the  waters  of  the 
Gulf  of  Spezia,  and,  with  dallying  summer  breezes,  we  stood 
along  the  coast  towards  southern  Italy. 

Leaving  Elba  and  Monte  Christo  on  our  right — the  spot  so 


SANTA    LUCIA.  59 

graphically  painted  as  the  scene  of  the  hobgoblin  exploits 
of  the  Count  of  that  name,  by  his  veracious  biographer, 
M.  Dumas — and,  with  a  distant  view  of  the  Tiber  and  Cam- 
pagna  of  Rome,  we  slowly  sailed  over  the  flat,  warm  sea,  until 
one  night  the  sluggish  ship  stood  still,  within  the  gigantic 
break- water  of  Ischia,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Naples. 

The  moon  came  timidly  up  over  the  steep  cliffs  of  Capri, 
and  shed  her  soft,  white  light  upon  the  magnificent  panorama 
of  land  and  water  around  us.  The  frigate  lay  becalmed, 
scarcely  moving  an  inch  from  beneath  the  terraced  shade  of 
the  high  peaks  of  Ischia.  The  solid  hull  was  too  deep  below 
the  surface,  her  taper  masts  and  canvas  were  too  high  in  the 
heavens,  and  both  were  too  rapt  in  beholding  the  scene 
around  and  the  wonders  below  the  bay,  to  give  heed  to 
the  furtive  fluttering  airs,  laden  with  the  perfume  of  orange 
blossoms,  which  came  stealthily  off  from  the  land. 

From  the  castle-crowned  rock  of  Procida  to  Baiae,  the 
curving  sweep  of  the  bay  begins ;  and  the  city,  with  its  dense 
masses  of  white  buildings,  rises  in  amphitheatre-like  ranges, 
until  capped  by  the  gloomy  fortress  of  St.  Elmo ;  then  beyond 
is  the  great  dome  of  Vesuvius— a  thin  puff  of  white  smoke, 
toying  and  eddying  around  the  crater,  occasionally  lurid  with 
flame  from  the  seething,  red,  molten  lava  within  the  volcano's 
broad  and  burning  flanks :  while  on  the  eye  insensibly 
wanders  towards  the  east,  where  the  sharp-cut  peaks  stand 
guard  above  Castellamare  and  Sorrento,  until  the  panorama 
is  nearly  closed  by  the  bluff  cape  and  the  gap  of  blue  sea 
which  separates  it  from  the  precipitous  island  of  Capri. 

And   now  out   here,  in   the  lovely  Italian  night,  in  this 


60  SCAMPAVIAS. 

paradise  of  the  poets  and  painters,  let  us  hold  a  conseil  de  mer 
upon  our  campaigns  for  the  future. 

"  My  good  sir,"  I  would  begin  by  observing,  or,  "  Bless 
your  heart,  miss,  I  pray  you  not  to  come  all  the  way  here  to 
be  worried  and  oppressed  out  of  your  natural  good  sense  by 
striving  to  see  all  the  world  at  one  peep ;  or  to  take  a  flying 
vault  over  one  wonder,  or  the  top  of  another,  solely  because 
legions  of  other  trifling,  wonder-loving  people  have  accom- 
plished the  feat  before  you.  Don't  allow  your  precious  wits 
to  be  confused,  because  the  great  rhymers  and  sculptors,  from 
the  times  of  the  old  Athenians,  the  Homers,  and  Phidiases, 
down  to  our  day,  have  written  sublime  verse,  or  carved  in 
marble,  or  portrayed  on  canvas,  miracles  and  master-pieces 
of  song  and  art ;  or  because  Corinne  has  charmed  this  one, 
or  Consuelo  turned  the  head  of  that  one,  with  their  mere- 
tricious, insidious  immorality ;  or  because  Rogers  has  warbled 
sweet  descriptions,  and  Starke — may  Heaven  be  merciful  to 
that  old  lady,  now  that  she  is  at  rest  in  the  Campo  Santo — 
and  Murray,  the  insatiable — for  whom  there  is  no  future 
rest — have  exhausted  the  entire  heathen  mythology,  mixed 
up  with  the  price  of  washing  and  beefsteaks,  merely  to  con- 
vince, nay,  bully  you,  as  to  how,  when,  and  where  you  must 
go,  look,  or  eat,  so  as  properly  to  appreciate  what,  in  their 
opinions,  constitute  the  beauties  of  Italy.  Oh !  no,  my 
hearers.  I  beseech  you  to  jog  gently  about,  like  self- 
dependent  mortals,  relying  upon  the  faculties  Providence 
has  vouchsafed  you ;  tarry  or  journey  by  the  highways  or 
goat-paths ;  repose  or  fatigue  yourself ;  eat  ravioli ;  suck 
oranges ;  smell  flowers ;  drink  sour  wine  or  sweet,  as  best 


SANTA    LUCIA.  61 

agrees  with  your  constitution;  pitch  all  guides  and  cicerones 
to  the  Diavolo — which  will  only  forestall  their  fate  a  little — 
and  then,  having  cleared  your  skirts  of  the  vermin,  and  the 
film  from  your  eyes,  you  may  live  like  a  prince — indeed,  far 
better  than  most  of  the  race — enjoy  the  delights  which 
nature  spreads,  broadcast,  before  you — have  health,  pleasure, 
and  good  cheer,  all  by  following  the  bent  of  your  own  incli- 
nations." 

Remember  too,  that, 

"  Anxious  through  seas  and  lands  to  search  for  rest, 
Is  but  laborious  idleness  at  best," 

or  as  ^he  Italian  has  it,  Non  e  bello,  quaPche  bello,  ma  e  bello 
quaVche  piace. 

And  now,  my  friends,  if  you  like,  we  will  go  on  shore,  and 
take  an  inside  look  at  Naples. 

In  the  morning,  the  sea-breeze  wafted  us  to  the  anchorage 
abreast  the  arsenal.  It  is  not,  by  the  way,  a  position  where 
King  Bomba  prefers  to  gaze  upon  ships  of  war,  since  their 
guns  stare  full  in  at  his  palace  windows. 

In  less  than  an  hour,  a  peripatetic  artist  in  a  boat  had 
painted  the  frigate  in  colored  chalks,  with  a  back-ground, 
comprising  the  most  awful  eruption  of  Vesuvius  ever  beheld 
since  the  days  of  Pliny.  Punch  and  Judy  were  screeching 
and  wrangling  in  the  most  agonizing  tones  on  either  side 
of  us.  A  boat-load  of  charlatans  and  ballet-tumblers,  of  both 
sexes,  were  jabbering  under  the  stern.  A  small  imp,  without 
any  visible  legs,  beneath  the  cabin  windows,  was  making 
music  by  hammering  away  with  his  knuckles  on  his  lower 


62  SCAMPAVIAS. 

jaw,  keeping  up  a  snap-accompaniment  to  a  whistling-chorus. 
Crowds  of  itinerant  venders  of  precious  relics,  coral  orna- 
ments, lavas,  and  piles  of  daubs  of  pictures,  were  thick  as 
bees  around  the  ship,  all  striving  to  get  up  a  little  code 
of  friendly  signals  with  the  officers  on  deck,  or  sentries  at  the 
gangways,  so  as  to  be  admitted  on  board. 

I  went  on  shore  in  the  cool  of  the  afternoon ;  wound  my 
way  towards  the  Villa  Reale,  and  entered  the  Vittoria  Hotel. 
This  albergo  was,  in  former  times,  and  is  now,  the  grandest 
in  Naples.  I  myself,  once  upon  a  time,  picked  up  within  the 
precincts  of  this  establishment  a  handkerchief,  belonging 
to  that  good  old  Dowager  Queen  Adelaide  ;  which,  in  itself, 
was  enough  to  stamp  the  respectability  of  the  house.  Upon 
the  strength  of  this  knowledge,  I  had  advised  some  of  my  im- 
Italianized  messmates  to  bivouac  there,  and  thus  give  the 
frigate  a  good  name. 

The  polite  porter  showed  me  up  several  pianos  of  stairs, 
until  I  had  gained  an  altitude  about  as  high  as  our  main-top- 
gallant yard,  when  I  was  ushered  into  a  pretty  saloon,  and 
welcomed  by  my  friends.  They  were  at  table,  enjoying 
themselves  greatly,  after  the  long  Mediterranean  sea  voyage 
we  had  endured  of  four  days. 

The  dinner  was  excellent ;  the  very  chickens  seemed  happy 
even  in  death.  Small  vegetables  were  coming  and  going 
until,  at  last,  all  made  way  for  the  fruit.  Apricots,  with 
their  downy  cheeks  half  hidden  in  the  green  leaves  of  their 
purple  neighbors,  the  figs;  cherries  were  heaped  up  in 
rich,  luscious,  red  masses ;  a  pyramid  of  oranges  rose  above 
all ;  while  in  every  vacant  space  there  stood  ruby  or  pale 


SANTA    LUCIA.  63 

wine  in  flasks — Falernian,  Ischia,  and  the  petit  Bordeaux 
of  Capri.  Cigar-smoke  curled  gracefully  over  this  little  feast, 
and  it  was  a  picture  of  downright  enjoyment.  I  was  shown 
through  a  suite  of  apartments,  too ;  admired  the  finely-gilded 
and  painted  walls  and  ceilings ;  the  richly  marble-tiled  floors ; 
the  damasked-curtained  beds ;  the  magnificent  furniture  and 
the  pictures ;  and  then  I  hung  over  the  lofty  balconies,  and 
let  my  eyes  drink  in  the  animated  loveliness  of  the  bay. 

In  a  little  while,  carriages  were  announced,  and,  attended 
by  a  horde  of  boy  beggars,  we  formed  the  queue,  with  the 
beau  monde  of  the  city,  and  whirled  dustily  along  the  Chiaja 
for  the  evening  drive.  We  went  through  the  long,  stifling 
tunnel  of  Posilippo  ;  rolled  on  by  the  road  to  Baise  ;  took  a 
couple  of  turns  again  on  the  Chiaja,  and  then  descended  for  a 
walk  in  the  Royal  Garden,  designed  by  Murat.  We  were  all 
blinded  and  powdered  by  dust,  and  that  of  the  nastiest  and 
most  disagreeable  kind ;  and  we  were  wearied  by  the  throngs 
of  podgy  priests,  who  darkened  the  side-walks,  like  daws  in  a 
rookery.  After  a  saunter  beneath  the  dense  and  pretty  ave- 
nues, around  the  marble  fountains  and  statues,  we  took  an  ice 
at  an  al  fresco  cafe,  and  I  then  bade  adieu  to  my  compan- 
ions. 

My  friends,  however,  discovered  the  truth  of  the  Italian 
adage,  Miele  in  bocca  guarda  la  borsa,  and  I  deem  it  candid 
to  mention,  that,  on  the  following  day,  a  mutual  acquaintance 
called  upon  them  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  and  discovered  that 
they  had  levanted  in  a  body,  soon  after  breakfast ;  and  later 
in  the  day  were  found  to  be  taking  a  frugal  repast,  at  an 
obscure  caravanserai  near  the  mole,  having  been,  it  was 


64  ScAMPAVIAS. 

presumed,  thoroughly  cleaned  out  during  their  brief  sojourn 
at  the  Vittoria. 

During  our  stay  at  Naples,  I  had  the  honor  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  Count  Bambozzi.  I  may  here  remark,  that 
the  general  ruck  of  Neapolitan  nobility  is  not  a  society  much 
to  be  sought  after.  As  a  class,  they  are  numerous,  and,  not 
uncommonly,  needy.  I  call  to  mind,  many  years  ago,  a  gen- 
tleman of  this  description,  who,  after  informing  me  that  he 
was  a  cousin  to  the  Prince  of  Syracuse,  the  half-brother  to 
the  king,  received  some  considerable  attention  on  board  the 
ship  I  was  in.  On  visiting  and  inspecting  the  galley,  he 
inquired  where  the  stalwart  old  negro  cook  stationed  at  the 
coppers,  came  from,  and  being  told  from  New  York,  he  was 
anxious  to  know  if  the  entire  population  of  that  commercial 
emporium  were  of  the  same  color.  Being  assured  that  they 
were,  he  declared  he  had  not  the  .heart  to  leave  the  vessel 
without  taking  away  some  slight  token  in  remembrance  of 
our  country.  I  communicated  this  condescension,  on  the  part 
of  the  prince,  to  the  captain,  who  very  innocently  requested 
me  to  present  him  with  a  dollar.  But  not  having  the  exact 
change  about  me,  I  substituted  a  cheap  edition  of  the  prayer- 
book,  which  his  highness,  on  leaving,  did  not  seem  to  be 
immoderately  pleased  with. 

My  friend  the  count,  however,  was  a  person  of  altogether  a 
different  stamp.  He  was  an  intimate  of  the  royal  family.  The 
king  played  billiards  with  him  frequently,  and  he  had  import- 
ed a  case  of  American  biscuit  for  the  royal  children.  In  fact, 
the  queen  could  not  get  on  without  him.  He  was  a  large, 
handsome  man,  drove  superb  English  horses,  and  was,  besides. 


SANTA    LUCIA.  65 

a  general  of  cavalry,  and  a  distinguished  soldier,  to  boot.  At 
least  he  assured  me  he  was ;  and  from  the  extremely  rigid 
cut  of  his  hair,  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  assertion,  since 
his  locks  defied  anything  less  than  a  pair  of  forceps  to  get 
hold  with.  He  was,  also,  a  very  gentlemanly  person,  though, 
perhaps,  a  trifle  too  cordial  in  manner. 

The  count  invited  Doctor  Bristles  and  myself  to  his  house, 
and  accordingly  we  went.  Disembarking  at  the  old  mole,  by 
treaty,  we  hired  a  one-horse  vettura.  The  cocchiere  said  he 
knew  where  the  count  lived,  and,  therefore,  declined  to  read 
the  address.  We  had  doubts  in  our  own  mind,  that  the  early 
rudiments  of  the  driver's  education  had  been  omitted ;  but 
still  we  mounted  the  open  four-wheeled  vehicle,  the  whip 
cracked,  and,  after  a  few  frightful  struggles,  the  wheels  began 
to  revolve.  The  poor  white  beast  had  hardly  two  legs  to 
trust  his  body  with,  and  one  was  a  stump,  without  the  merest 
hope  of  a  flexible  joint  in  it. 

To  our  dismay,  too,  we  found  that  the  Jehu  was  driving 
quite  in  the  wrong  direction  ;  and  as  he  refused  to  listen  to 
our  entreaties  to  change  his  course,  we  pulled  him  with  a 
jerk  over  backwards,  so  that  we  might  get  an  upside  down 
view  of  his  face,  and  thus  hold  speech  with  him.  This  effort 
unfortunately  arrested  the  progress  of  the  vehicle,  and  before 
the  coachman  had  recovered  his  equilibrium,  his  nag,  while 
toiling  painfully  up  a  smooth  narrow  street,  and  trying  to 
scratch  his  way  over  the  pavement,  at  last  gave  a  few  bewilder- 
ing staggers,  dropped  heavily  down,  and  gave  up  the  ghost. 

It  was  a  clear  case,  as  Bristles  observed,  of  "  Death  of  the 
pale  horse  ;"  so  we  jumped  out  of  the  chaise,  threw  the  driver  a 


66  SCAMPAVIAS. 

carlino,  and  gaining  the  Strada  Toledo,  after  due  deliberation 
we  selected  a  tolerable  brute  and  vehicle,  and  set  off  again. 
A  drive  of  two  or  three  miles,  by  the  road  of  La  Foria  and 
Capo  de  Monti,  brought  us  to  our  destination.  We  found  the 
establishment  of  the  count  new,  spacious,  and  elegant.  His 
well-bred  horses  stood  quietly  hitched  to  bronze  rings  in  the 
court-yard. 

The  saloons  were  blazing  in  splendor,  and  the  owner 
received  us  with  politeness.  We  found  him  to  be  a  great 
amateur  of  new  inventions  and  improvement  in  fire-arms  ; 
and  one  of  the  apartments  was  fitted  up  as  amuseed'artillerie. 
There  was  not  a  metallic  contrivance  in  the  way  of  daggers, 
guns,  or  pistols,  from  the  days  of  the  Phoenicians  that  our  friend 
had  not  a  specimen  of.  Among  them  was  a  stand  of  Colt's 
revolvers,  and  other  recent  inventions,  all  made  under  the 
coun-t's  own  eye  in  the  royal  arsenal.  Bristles  had  already 
effected  an  advanced  lodgment  in  the  citadel  of  the  count's 
affection,  by  presenting  him  a  villainous-looking  pistol,  with 
an  enormous  bowie-knife  attachment,  the  size  and  shape  of  a 
meat  cleaver.  Not  to  be  outdone,  I  talked  of  importing  a 
patent  rifle,  that  would  fire  upon  everybody  for  an  entire  cam- 
paign, without  the  trouble  of  loading.  We  passed  an  hour 
very  agreeably,  examining  weapons  and  shooting  at  a  mark, 
and  then  made  our  adieux  to  our  hospitable  entertainer. 

On  a  succeeding  visit  to  Naples,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that 
the  noble  Count  cut  us  dead.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  our 
remissness  in  procuring  the  patent  rifle,  that  he  might  copy 
the  invention,  as  he  had  the  revolvers ;  or  that  we  did  not 
send  for  a  new  eleven-inch  shell  gun  or  boat  howitzer ;  or 


SANTALUCIA.  67 

whether  his  friend  the  king  and  the  royal  family  had  frowned 
upon  his  intimacy  with  the  transatlantic  Saxons,  we  did  not 
learn.  All  we  know  is,  that  his  cruel  treatment  caused  us 
infinite  sorrow. 

We  chose  a  different  route  on  our  return,  and  drove  along 
by  the  shores  of  the  bay.  Had  we  not  had  ocular  proof  that 
every  other  street  and  lane  in  Naples  had  been  as  densely 
crowded  with  vehicles,  we  should  have  sworn  that  every  one 
of  them  had  been  launched  upon  the  Strada  Marina.  So, 
too,  had  we  not  known  that  the  desperate  racing  going  on 
there,  was  a  matter  of  daily  occurrence,  we  should  have  sup- 
posed the  thing  had  been  expressly  got  up  for  our  amuse- 
ment. 

Fortunately  our  nag  was  driven  by  a  human  being,  and 
one  who,  without  indulging  in  the  sport,  delighted  in  con- 
templating it  from  a  distance.  He  accordingly  rolled  us  to  a 
safe  position  by  the  roadside.  Here  we  remained  in  com- 
parative security,  within  ear-shot  of  a  very  screechy  and  buf- 
feted Punch  and  Judy ;  but  we  had  ample  scope  to  regard 
the  furious  devotees  of  the  race,  who  went  spinning  by  us. 

There  are  never  congregated  anywhere  else  such  outlandish 
rumble-tumble  coaches,  low-wheeled  vans,  battered  chaises, 
and  vetturas,  carts,  donkey-wagons,  and  in  fact,  every  imag- 
inable contrivance  for  land  locomotion.  All  of  them  were 
literally  crammed,  too,  and  where  room  was  not  found  inside, 
children,  babies,  and  baskets  were  either  slung  under  the 
axles,  or  the  drivers  themselves  would  be  balanced  on  one  leg 
from  behind  somewhere,  snapping  their  thongs  and  urging 
their  beasts,  by  jerk  or  wrench,  to  hurry  on  over  the  hard 


68  SCAMPAVIAS. 

smooth  pavement  and  distance  their  competitors.  On  they. 
flew  with  furious,  headlong  speed,  utterly  regardless  of  per- 
sonal property,  cracking  their  whips  over  the  smoking  steeds, 
who  seemed  quite  as  wild  in  their  career  as  their  masters, 
dashing  from  side  to  side  of  the  broad  Strada,  straining, 
plunging,  running,  slipping,  smashing,  shouting,  singing, 
and  laughing.  In  all  my  equine  experience,  I  never  saw 
such  a  pell-mell  imbroglio  of  bipeds,  quadrupeds,  vehicles, 
and  beasts — such  a  really  excitable,  insane  throng  anywhere. 

Bristles  and  I  were  only  too  glad  to  quietly  thread  the 
mazes  of  these  racers  without  mishap,  and  reach  the  open 
space  near  the  mole,  where,  tailing  on  to  a  more  quiet  crew, 
we  trotted  slowly  on  to  Santa  Lucia. 

Here  we  got  down,  and  dismissed  our  vetturino.  We 
quarrelled  with  him,  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  this  was  to 
be  expected,  and  we  were  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  his 
moans,  being  persuaded  that  he  would  respect  us  the  more 
for  resisting  extortion. 

Twilight  had  faded  entirely,  and  as  the  lamps  were  begin- 
ning to  twinkle  along  the  quay  of  Santa  Lucia,  we  strolled 
in  that  direction.  Who  ever  visits  Naples,  should  not  omit  a 
survey  of  all  the  shelly  wonders  which  surround  the  famous 
fishermen  of  Santa  Lucia. 

Along  the  seaside  of  the  broad  causeway,  against  the 
heavy  stone  copings,  are  arranged  the  upright  stands  of  these 
bronzed  old  fishers.  There  is  not  one  of  them  who  could 
not  stand,  without  a  blush,  for  a  study  for  Masaniello,  or  yet 
for  San  Antonio  himself.  Look  at  them  !  Did  you  ever  see 
such  a  corps  of  bony-flippered,  salt-water,  corrugated  old 


SANTA    LUCIA.  69 

faces — every  furrow  and  wrinkle  in  their  weather-beaten 
cheeks  cut  as  deep  and  clear  as  the  waves  off  Cape  Horn. 
Those  skinny  throats  and  amphibious  legs,  too,  with  their 
impervious  raiment,  looking,  for  all  the  world,  like  quilted 
brown  seaweed !  They  are,  indeed,  the  beau  ideals  of  fisher- 
men. Their  names  are  legibly  painted  over  the  sectional 
boxes — names,  too,  of  historical  renown.  Antonio  Doria, 
Giacopo  Machiavel,  Giovanni  di  Bologna,  Guiseppe  Rinaldo, 
and  half  a  score  more  of  the  like  nobility,  all  waiting,  with  a 
sharp  little  knife  in  their  palms,  for  customers. 

But,  by  Saint  Barnabas !  what  a  variety  of  shell-fish. 
Oysters  of  goodly  size,  as  clean  and  salty-looking  as  possible ! 
delicately-fluted  clams ;  snails — red  ones  and  green  ones ; 
muscles — similar  to  pretty  pearl-handled  pen-knives ;  then 
other  nameless  monsters,  with  long  stickers,  like  miniature 
black  porcupines — and  all  these  tempting  treasures  tastily 
arranged  in  square,  shallow  baskets.  Whenever  the  venders 
wished  to  call  attention  to  their  activity  or  freshness,  they 
would  give  the  cases  a  smart  rap,  when  all  the  shells  from 
their  cosy  sea-weed  beds,  with  a  simultaneous  and  spasmodic 
start,  would  open  their  mouths,  run  out  their  feelers,  and 
make  a  knowing  and  impatient  wriggle,  before  resuming 
their  previous  silent  and  observant  manner. 

We  lounged  about  for  some  time,  rapt  in  admiration  of 
these  case-hardened  luxuries— vacillating  between  a  desire  to 
swallow  a  few,  and  fears  of  consequences. 

Our  doubts,  however,  were  put  an  end  to,  by  the  approach 
of  a  pretty  woman,  from  a  carriage  hard  by,  who,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  seized  a  pair  of  the  pearl-handled  razor- 


TO  SCAMPAVIAS. 

fish,  and  cracking  the  transparent  case  with  her  pearly-enam- 
elled teeth,  the  muscle  put  out  its  tongue,  as  if  entranced  at 
the  fate  of  slipping  so  sweetly  into  the  lady's  mouth,  and  was 
seen  no  more. 

We  waited  no  longer — our  fears  were  dispelled — and  step- 
ping up  to  a  merry  old  scamp,  we  shouted,  "  Cos1  avete  /" 
"Ah  !  Signori!  tutti  frutti  di  mare  /" — all  the  fruits  of  the 
sea — he  replied,  and  forthwith  he  caught  up  a  nice  looking 
oyster,  inserted  his  sharp  little  blade  at  the  hinges,  the  bival- 
vas  parted,  a  small,  embryo  fisherman  stood  ready  with  a 
minute  pot  of  pepper  and  half  a  lemon,  with  both  of  which 
condiments  he  gave  a  dash  and  a  squeeze,  and  we  thus  began 
in  earnest.  First  an  oyster,  then  a  clam,  now  a  snail,  and 
again  a  muscle,  until  we  had  well-nigh  tucked  down  the  entire 
stock  of  bivalvous  crustacea.  Carefully  counting  the  empty 
shells,  after  a  long  and  oft-repeated  negotiation,  we  succeeded, 
with  infinite  pleasure,  in  cancelling  our  pecuniary  obligation. 
This,  however,  was  effected  in  great  good-humor  on  both 
sides ;  when  shaking  the  bony  hand  of  our  entertainer,  we 
moved  away  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  strada.  We  looked 
into  the  wine  shops,  took  a  sip  of  eau-de-vie,  so  disguised  as  to 
be  unintelligible  to  King  Alcohol  himself,  and  then  returned 
to  our  lounge  among  the  Pescatori. 

By  this  time,  the  whole  street,  from  the  angle  of  the  Ar- 
senal to  Casteluovo,  was  profusely  illuminated,  and  crowds  of 
people  were  strolling  about,  inhaling  the  fresh  sea  air  from  the 
bay,  while  the  round,  yellow  moon  flooded  a  broad  rippling 
road  over  the  water,  from  Sorrento, 

Presently  we  came  to  a  broad  flight  of  marble  steps,  and 


SANTA     LUCIA.  71 

seeing  the  populace  descend,  we  followed,  not  expecting,  how- 
ever, to  be  repaid  for  our  explorations  by  aught  else  save  the 
naked  quay,  with  the  clusters  of  boats  and  bathing-sheds  lying 
in  the  vicinity.  On  descending,  our  surprise  was  great  to  find 
a  broad,  well -paved  space,  pitched  with  painted  tents  and  awn- 
ings, small,  neatly-spread  tables  standing  about,  while  arched 
casemates  ran  under  the  street  above,  brilliantly  lighted,  and 
making  as  charming  an  al  fresco  restaurant  as  one  would 
care  to  behold. 

On  the  brink  of  the  quay  were  more  of  our  friends  the  fish- 
ermen, with  their  ostriconi  as  appetizingly  displayed  as  ever, 
while  scale -fish,  too,  were  shining  and  gleaming  in  their  dying 
struggles,  just  out  of  the  nets.  Opposite,  by  the  tables,  were  the 
cooks,  with  kettles  of  steaming  macaroni,  pyramids  of  grated 
cheese,  platters  of  oil,  and  all  prepared  to  reel  oft'  any  amount 
of  miles  of  "  pipe-stems  made  easy  "  the  company  might  de- 
sire. There  were  tidy  old  women,  too,  rushing  about,  to 
attract  the  notice  of  wayfarers  to  their  viands  and  salads ; 
while  charcoal  fires  burned  ruddily  within  the  casemates 
where  the  broiling  and  frying  was  carried  on  unceasingly,  for 
the  guests  without. 

In  a  trice,  we  resolved  to  sup  ;  and  selecting  a  jolly,  good- 
natured  old  lady,  we  arranged  the  preliminaries  at  her  tent. 
In  the  first  place,  we  summoned  Antonio  Tasso — who,  by  the 
way,  talked  as  if  the  whole  world  were  deaf  as  stones — and 
after  carefully  examining  his  fish,  we  chose  a  beautiful  mullet, 
whose  tail  was  just  quivering  with  its  latest  flap. 

After  driving  a  bargain  with  Antonio,  we  carried  off  our 
prize,  and  consigned  it  to  the  coals  of  our  own  signora.  Then 


72  SCAMPAVIAS. 

we  had  clear  and  precise  stipulations  with  this  last-named 
personage,  with  respect  to  the  exact  cost  of  every  article  we 
might  consume.  The  bread  was  to  be  so  much  ;  the  salad  to 
be  dressed  with  good  oil  and  salt;  there  were  a  brace  of 
tomatoes,  at  so  many  grani ;  and,  lastly,  there  was  to  be  a 
bottle  of  famous  Capri  bianco — no  sweet  wine,  according  to 
the  proverb  "  Guardate  d'aceto  di  vin  dolce"  but  good  sound 
juice,  squeezed  ever  so  many  years  ago,  and  pressed  for  the  lips 
of  Bacchus ! 

The  treaty  being  thus  concluded,  down  we  sat  at  table, 
adjoining  a  party  of  Swiss  officers  of  the  guard,  with  their 
wives  and  sweethearts  beside  them.  We  were  not  annoyed 
by  beggars ;  for  our  hostess  had  placed  a  small  boy  and  a 
sharp,  to  keep  watch  over  us ;  and  the  lazaroni  merely  licked 
their  chops  at  a  respectable  distance  ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
a  quartette  of  juvenile  damsels  were  permitted  to  make  music 
on  harps  and  lutes  in  the  back-ground. 

Presently  our  mullet  came,  smoking  hot,  and  was  laid 
crispy  brown  on  the  board ;  then  the  bread  ;  then  the  cool, 
brittle  salad,  with  the  tomatoes ;  and,  finally,  the  rare  old  bot- 
tle of  Capri.  The  Signora  and  Antonio  Tasso  shrieked  in 
ecstasy,  as  we  uttered  sentiments  of  satisfaction,  at  the  sight 
of  our  aupper.  The  venerable  white-capped  cook  came  out 
from  the  casemate,  with  a  pair  of  devil's  tormentors  in  one 
hand,  and  a  casserole  in  the  other,  merely  to  admire  us.  The 
small,  bright  youth,  attached  as  skirmisher  to  the  establish- 
ment, warded  off  the  beggars  with  decision  and  energy. 
Meanwhile,  a  trio  of  imps  telegraphed  in  the  distance  for  the 
bones  of  our  mullet,  making  rapid  pantomine  by  tossing  their 


SANTALUCIA.  73 

fingers  down  their  wide-open  mouths,  in  anticipation  of  those 
fragments,  while  at  the  same  time  they  capered  and  danced 
to  the  chorus  of  "  macaroni !  macaroni !"  % 

Even  the  man  with  the  white  apron,  who  was  ladling  out 
of  a  huge  earthen  pot  pickled  star-fish,  paused  a  moment  to 
gaze  upon  us,  and  exclaim :  "  /  signori  Inglesi  /"  And  the 
pretty,  fat  woman,  with  the  smart  Swiss  officers,  scattered 
bright  smiles  upon  us,  while  she  coquettishly  pulled  her 
lover's  moustache,  and  sucked  a  razor-fish. 

Ah !  all  was  delightfully  al-fresco  and  Italian ;  and  could 
we  have  convinced  our  stout  friend  Antonio  Tasso  that  we 
stood  no  more  in  need  of  his  ostriconi,  we  should  have  been 
in  a  state  of  perfect  beatification. 

But  the  amiable  Antonio  was  a  logician,  and  extremely 
incredulous  upon  that  point;  and  tripping  up  to  our  table 
every  few  seconds,  and  running  through  the  entire  gamut  of 
his  stock  in  trade,  would  implore  us  to  name  a  fish,  and 
"  whillup,"  it  would  swim  down  our  throats  like  oil :  and  he 
threw  back  his  head,  and  went  through  the  motion,  by  way 
of  accompaniment. 

Nevertheless,  we  got  on  bravely  with  the  repast  set  before 
us,  and,  on  finishing,  it  was  by  the  severest  effort  of  self-denial 
that  we  were  prevented  from  rushing  straight  away  to  bar- 
gain for  another  mullet.  For  a  miracle,  too,  our  rotund 
hostess  never  grumbled  at  the  price  originally  drawn  up  in 
the  protocol,  and  since  the  amount  was  not  unreasonable,  we 
gave  a  buona  mano  to  the  vigilant  custode  of  the  lazaroni, 
with  a  copper  trifle  to  the  aged  cook. 

Then  the  young  vultures,  who  had  been  dancing  like 

4 


74  SCAMPAVIAS. 

demons,  for  an  hour,  pounced  upon  the  crumbs  of  bread, 
morsels  of  salad  and  fish,  while  the  indefatigable  Antonio 
drained  the  last  drops  of  the  Capri,  and  carolled  forth  a  note 
of  thanksgiving,  interspersed  with  an  earnest  exhortation  for 
the  bystanders  to  taste  his  ostriconi. 

The  hostess  patted  us  on  the  back,  as  we  affectionately 
embraced  her  at  parting,  and  hoped,  by  all  the  saints, 
/  Signori  would  come  and  test  her  good  cheer  again. 

Buckling  on  our  swords,  we  resumed  our  tour.  After  the 
hearty  supper  and  generous  wine,  we  felt  charitably  inclined, 
and  accordingly  we  selected  a  poor  blind  cripple,  with  a 
brace  of  famished  blind  children  at  his  side.  To  feed  this 
party,  we  found  a  difficult  matter ;  for  on  leading  them  to 
the  caldrons  of  macaroni,  before  the  dispenser  thereof 
could  fill  and  hand  a  platter,  the  myriads  of  starving  crea- 
tures around  would  snatch  and  devour  it  like  magic.  As  a 
last  resort,  we  barricaded  the  blind  group  in  an  angle  by  a 
casemate,  where  they  were  enabled  to  swallow  their  portions 
in  peace. 

After  this  affair  was  settled,  we  concluded  to  part  with 
Santa  Lucia,  having  decided,  on  mature  reflection,  that  we 
had  acquired  a  taste  for  low  life.  Ascending  the  broad 
stairs,  attended  by  the  impish  trio  of  urchins,  we  bent  our 
footsteps  towards  the  mole. 

The  hour  was  late,  but  yet  the  streets  and  piazzas  were 
thronged,  and  no  languor  was  visible  under  the  influence  of 
the  soft,  refreshing  Italian  night.  It  is  in  the  summer's 
night,  long  after  the  orange-heated  glow  of  sunset  has  passed, 
that  all  Italy  wakes  fairly  into  life. 


SANTA   LUCIA.  75 

We  sauntered  lazily  on,  stopping  at  intervals  to  rest  on 
the  balustrade  over  the  Arsenal,  or  on  the  rim  of  a  fountain, 
or  to  listen  to  the  delightful  music  in  the  front  of  the  palace  ; 
to  sip  a  drop  of  cool  lemonade  in  that  execrable  Cafe" 
Europa ;  and  to  pause  for  a  long  gaze  at  the  noble  eques- 
trian statues,  which  stand  at  the  northern  gateway  of  the 
palace.  All  the  while  our  ballet-boys,  little  gamins  as  they 
were,  marched,  danced,  skipped,  or  sang  snatches  from  operas, 
invariably  ending  their  vocal  performances  with  the  tarantella. 

In  due  course,  we  reached  the  quay,  and  were  hailed  by 
the  usual  salutations  of  scores  of  boatmen:  "Takee  bote, 
sare ;  go  bode."  "  Here  de  raan-y-warr-bote,  official,"  and 
so  forth. 

We  chose  an  individual  from  the  gang,  but  when  on  the 
point  of  giving  some  slight  recompense  to  our  corps  de  bal- 
let, our  intentions  seemed  to  be  divined ;  for,  like  a  shower, 
there  fell  upon  us  a  troop  of  young  vagabonds,  who  sprang 
so  suddenly  from  the  shade  of  the  piers  and  walls,  and 
resembled  so  closely  our  own  especial  imps,  that  we  were 
utterly  unable  to  distinguish  them  from  their  companions. 

We  were  in  a  quandary ;  and  not  caring  to  distribute 
largesse  to  the  whole  community,  while  the  din  and  shrill 
clamor  waxed  alarming,  we  were  on  the  point  of  retreating 
to  the  boat,  when  a  happy  thought  occurred  to  us.  Com- 
manding silence  for  an  instant,  we  trilled  forth  a  quick  note 
of  the  tarantella,  which  being  immediately  taken  up  by  our 
own  little  chorus,  leaping  and  chanting  to  the  music,  we 
seized  them  by  the  arms,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  indulge 
them  with  a  few  coppers. 


76  SCAMPAVIAS. 

Then  paddling  through  the  fleets  of  merchant  vessels 
which  filled  the  port,  we  gained  a  cool  offing  in  the  bay, 
mounted  to  the  deck  of  the  frigate,  and  so  betook  ourselves 
deep  down  to  our  oaken  parlors  in  the  cock-pit. 


U  NDER    CAN  v  AS. 


Chapter    VI. 

"  A  te  fioriscono 

Gli  erbosi  prati : 
E,  i  flotti  ridono 
Nel  mar  placati." 

The  ocean  smiles  and  smooths  her  wavy  breast. 


Under   Canva?. 

ON  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  July,  as  the  first  breath  of 
the  land  wind  came  over  the  bay  from  the  flanks  of  Vesuvius, 


78  SCAMPAVIAS. 

the  frigate's  sails  tilled,  and  she  began  to  glide  noiselessly 
away  from  Naples. 

I  sat  in  one  of  the  bow  ports  indulging  in  a  dreamy  state 
of  forgetfulness,  hearkening  to  the  strains  of  delicious  music 
which  came  floating  over  the  water  from  the  military  bands 
at  the  palace  of  King  Ferdinand,  or  tracing  the  torchlight 
processions  which  wound  their  tortuous  course  by  the  Marina 
and  Santa  Lucia — for  of  course  it  was  afesta — while  myriads 
of  sparkling  tapers,  range  upon  range,  up  to  the  castle  of 
Saint  Elmo,  marked  out  the  terraced  city;  and  the  moon, 
rising  above  all,  shed  her  white  beams  from  the  shaded 
heights  of  the  Sorrento  shore,  to  the  sleeping  islands  of  Capri 
and  Ischia  in  the  distance.  The  effect  even  to  a  sailor  was 
charming. 

The  following  morning  the  pretty  scenes  of  the  night  had 
vanished :  the  moon  and  the  lights  had  been  extinguished  by 
the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun  ;  the  dome  of  the  volcano  was 
barely  visible  astern,  and  blue  water  was  around  us. 

We  made  in  due  time  the  Lipari  Isles ;  and  that  night 
Stromboli  glared  luridly,  as  at  regular  intervals  it  sputtered 
high  in  the  heavens  the  red  hot  boulders,  until  the  sun 
quenched  its  flames,  and  with  the  early  rays  of  morning  the 
shores  of  Sicily  and  Calabria  broke  forth  in  green,  smiling 
dimples  far  up  the  radiating  ridges  and  valleys  inland. 

The  Faro  of  Messina  was  before  us,  and  taking  a  pilot-boat 
alongside,  we  boldly  entered  the  Strait 

There  has  been  a  deal  of  good  measured  classic  verse 
written  and  sung  upon  the  wonders  of  this  abode  of  sea 
monsters,  such  as : 


UNDER    CANVAS.  79 

"  Charybdis,  roaring,  on  the  left  presides, 
And  in  her  greedy  whirlpool  sacks  the  tides  : 
Then  spouts  them  from  below ;  with  fury  driv'n, 
The  wares  mount  up,  and  wash  the  face  of  Heav'n — 
But  Scylla,  from  her  den,  with  open  jaws, 
The  sinking  vessel  in  her  eddy  draws :" 

Again  old  Anchises  warns  us  : 

"  Tis  that  Charybdis  which  the  seer  foretold, 
And  those  the  promised  rocks !    Bear  off  to  sea  P' 

But  in  those  days,  they  knew  very  little  of  the  mariner's 
compass  ;  the  virtues  of  a  seven  pound  lead  or  current  tables  ; 
and  no  one  that  I  have  ever  heard  of,  devoted  his  leisure  to 
compiling  a  brief  epitome  of  sailing  directions,  so  that  sailors 
navigating  these  intricate  regions  might  weather  these  perils 
by  day  or  night  in  comparative  safety.  Had  Homer,  or 
Virgil,  the  Argonauts,  or  even  good  Saint  Paul  himself,  while 
sailing  through  these  waters,  fetched  a  compass  with  them, 
and  paid  a  little  attention  to  the  soundings  and  tides,  they 
could  all  have  made  the  passage  without  risk  to  their  under- 
writers. It  was  well,  however,  for  these  ancient  navigators 
that  they  never  were  obliged  to  shoot  the  rapids  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  where  even  in  our  times,  on  board  a  steamer  with 
a  powerful  engine,  driving  wheels  thirty  feet  in  diameter, 
over  the  bursting  white  breakers,  it  is  enough  to  make  a 
nervous  man's  hair  stand  on  end,  and  would  unquestionably 
have  deprived  the  ancients  of  their  wits. 

But  with  regard  to  Messina,  the  whirlpools  no  longer 
suck  down  the  unwary;  there  are  merely  strong  eddies 
which  twist  a  vessel  around  occasionally,  but  rarely  swallow 
her  up. 


80  SOAMPAVIAS. 

We  passed  the  fisherman's  village  at  the  light-house  point, 
where  tunny  boats  were  thickly  clustered  upon  the  beach, 
their  black  wales  smoking  with  breaming  pitch,  and  people 
busy  around  them  ;  while  a  little  way  from  the  shore  of  the 
curving  sandy  spit,  were  lots  more  of  the  same  vessels  at 
anchor,  with  each  a  lookout  perched  in  a  sort  of  cage  on  the 
tall  masts,  peering  into  the  clear  water  below  for  their  tunny 
prey. 

By  afternoon,  the  current  swept  the  frigate  beyond  the  city 
of  Messina  and  towns  on  the  Calabrian  coast,  and  we  dis- 
missed the  pilots.  The  vocation  of  these  gentlemen  is  not  an 
arduous  one,  for  they  merely  relieved  one  another  in  scream- 
ing unintelligible  orders,  which  no  one  paid  a  particle  of 
attention  to ;  and  in-  the  pauses,  the  spare  oarsmen  lounged 
listlessly  on  the  thwarts  during  the  passage  of  the  Strait, 
munching  hard  biscuit,  calmly  contemplating  the  lofty  masts 
or  heavy  battery  of  the  ship,  or  else  slept  profoundly  on 
griego  capotes,  utterly  regardless  of  the  lovely  scenery  around, 
or  the  mellow  cadences  of  the  jackasses  chanting  Sicilian 
vespers  from  the  shores.  This  natural  indolence,  however, 
seemed  to  be  endemic  in  that  vicinity ;  for  in  the  light  wind 
a  small  fleet  of  speronari  had  their  lateen  sails  brailed  up, 
while  the  crews  lay  contentedly  on  their  backs  puffing 
cheroots,  and  watching  the  sinking  sun  dipping  as  within  a 
shell  of  gold  in  a  notch  of  Mount  Etna. 

Our  prow  was  turned  Levantward,  and  with  a  broad  sea 
and  fresh  breezes,  in  a  few  days,  we  were  in  sight  of  the 
Morea.  The  high  mountains  of  the  interior  loomed  up  clear 
and  smooth  against  the  Eastern  light ;  Cape  Matapan  termi- 


UNDER    CANVAS.  81 

nated  the  point  of  the  peninsula,  and  beyond  to  the  South 
we  beheld  the  Island  of  Cerigo.  Scon  we  ran  by  the  Cape, 
and  then  in  the  distance  hung  a  dim  blue  haze  over  Mount 
Ida,  and  the  mountains  of  Candia,  to  where  the  brave  JEneas 
once  steered  and  cried  : 

"  All  hands  aloft !  for  Crete  I  for  Crete !  they  cry, 
And  swiftly  through  the  foaming  billows  fly." 

We,  however,  merely  shouted  "land  ho!"  "a  point  on  the 
starboard  bow !"  and  a  few  sure  footed-topsmen  lay  out  along 
the  yards  to  guide  a  studding  sail  boom,  which  any  one  may 
remark  is  not  a  subject  to  write  verse  upon. 

The  channel  we  sailed  through  was  the  Cervi.  The  island 
of  Cerigo — one  of  the  Ionian  group  under  the  dominion  of 
John  Bull — was  on  our  right,  and  like  the  bold  rugged 
masses  of  marble  mountains  on  the  shores  of  the  Morea  to 
the  left,  it  seemed,  from  its  physical  geography,  to  be  utterly 
incapable  of  cultivation.  A  but  here  and  there ;  patches  of 
vines  or  corn  on  the  hill-side  slopes,  or  barely  visible  in  the 
recesses  of  the  valleys,  is  all  that  man  can  reclaim  in. tribute 
from  the  red  and  sterile  soil.  By  set  of  sun  we  had  fairly 
passed  the  gates  of  the  Archipelago,  and  were  in  the  ^Egean 
Gulf. 

For  nigh  upon  a  week,  in  the  middle  of  July,  we  had  the 
devil's  own  time  of  it;  alternate  calms,  catspaws,  and  be- 
devilments  generally.  Here  we  simmered  upon  the  languid 
sea  beneath  a  glaring  sun,  with  scarcely  a  breath  of  air  by 
night,  to  cool  our  hot  and  burning  eyeballs.  The  sterile  hills 
of  the  Morea  stretched  away  up  beyond  the  Gulf  of  Nauplia 

4* 


82  SCAMPAVIAS. 

di  Romania,  looking  miserably  naked  and  deserted,  without 
forests  or  vegetation  of  any  sort,  and  throwing  off  from  their 
red  and  bluish  marbled  sides,  a  tremulous  atmosphere  of 
heat.  Nor  did  the  reflection,  that  these  mountains  held 
within  their  iron  embrace  the  plains  of  Acadie,  where 
"  western  gales  eternally  reside,"  in  the  least  lessen  our  dis- 
comforts. Nor  yet  were  our  inflictions  less  severe  to  know 
that  we  were  surrounded  by  full  three  score  lumbering,  suf- 
fering merchantmen  of  all  nations,  or  that  a  French  or 
Austrian  vapore  would,  day  by  day,  go  smoking  hot  past  us. 

With  patience  and  a  good  cloak,  saith  the  Italian,  we  may 
endure  anything ;  except  possibly  being  roasted  to  death  in 
midsummer  without  a  cloak.  It  is  well,  however,  to  bear 
these  atmospheric  evils  with  equanimity,  mingled  with  claret 
and  water,  and  a  hopeful  reliance  on  the  future. 

One  morning  the  ship  had  drifted  abreast  Hydra.  This 
island,  in  1812,  had  a  population  of  twenty-five  thousand 
people,  and  was  a  famous  place  for  commerce,  but  the  Greek 
revolution  nearly  depopulated  it.  At  that  epoch,  the  Morea 
was  not  only  the  hot-bed  of  domestic  contentions,  but  like- 
wise the  field  of  Ibraham  Ali's  occupation,  until  at  the  battle 
of  Navarino,  Admiral  Coddington,  "  went  it  Ned,"  and  was 
the  means  of  driving  the  intruder  to  Egypt,  where,  as  all  the 
world  knows,  he  became  a  remarkable  individual. 

It  was,  I  think,  in  1815,  that  Count  Capo  D'Istrias  set  on 
foot  the  secret  society,  known  as  the  Hetairia,  where  the 
members  were  sworn  on  their  bended  knees  at  dead  of  night, 
to  kill  those  who  should  divulge  the  objects  of  the  associa- 
tion. This  body,  which  had  its  grand  arch  at  Saint  Peters- 


UNDEK    CANVAS.  83 

burgh,  assisted  materially  in  fomenting  and  urging  on  that 
famous  revolution,  which  partially  broke  out  in  1821.  At 
the  termination  of  the  struggle — where  a  good  deal  of  piracy 
and  brigandage  was  joined  to  patriotism — the  combined 
Powers  finally  gave  Greece  to  be  governed  by  one  Otho,  a 
likely  young  Dutchman,  who  had  his  passage  paid  out  to 
Nauplia,  together  with  about  three  thousand  of  his  father's 
Bavarian  retainers,  in  1832. 

At  last,  one  morning,  with  the  first  rosy  rays  of  dawn,  we 
beheld  Cape  Colonna,  the  scene  of  Falconer's  shipwreck — 
capped  in  bold  relief  by  the  tall  columns  of  the  temple  of 
Minerva ;  and  further  on,  we  saw  the  Acropolis  and  city  of 
Athens.  A  breeze  came,  one  of  those  gentle  zephyrs,  which 
were  supposed  to  be  original  in  these  latitudes,  and  wafted 
their  perfumed  breath  on  the  wings  of  the  west  wind,  and  we 
steered  for  the  head  of  the  Gulf.  There,  turning  our  backs 
on  the  island  of  Salamis,  and  the  scene  of  Queen  Artemisa's 
cock-boat  fleet  strife,  we  glided  between  a  gateway  of  stone 
beacons,  and  choosing  an  anchorage  among  the  shipping  of 
a  French  and  Russian  squadron,  let  run  the  cables  in  Porto 
Leone,  or  the  modern  Piraeus. 


SCAMPAVIAS. 

Chapter    VII. 

1  The  way-woru  mariner  from  afar 
Descries  a  lion  of  stupendous  size, 
Unknown  the  sculptor,  marble  is  the  frame, 
And  hence  the  adjacent  haven  drew  its  name.' 


THE    PIRATK. 


Porto    Leone. 

THE  port  of  the  Piraeus  is  a  circular  pool  of  water,  scarcely 
half  a  mile  in  diameter,  rimmed  in  by  sterile  rocks  at  the  jaws  ; 


PORTOLEONE.  85 

the  vale  of  Attica  opening  towards  the  North,  while  on  the 
Eastern  segment  is  the  town.  I  remember  it  fifteen  years 
before,  when  there  were  but  a  few  straggling  unfinished  build- 
ings along  the  broken  coping  of  the  curving  quay,  with  a  dirty 
market;  a  cafd  on  poles,  covered  with  rushes,  and  a  few 
hovels  stuck  back  in  the  hills.  Now,  however,  the  wharfs 
have  been  substantially  repaired ;  regular  lines  of  stores  and 
dwellings  have  been  constructed,  together  with  a  Lazaretto 
and  a  number  of  well-built  public  offices.  There  is  a  square 
laid  out  too,  by  the  water,  with  a  spattering  attempt  at  a 
fountain  in  the  middle,  and  the  faintest  murmur  of  a  grove  of 
little  saplings  to  raise  the  idea  of  incipient  shade. 

Between  the  port  and  a  narrow  loop  of  blue  water  to  the 
East — where  are  bathing  sheds  and  plenty  of  the  saltest  sea 
endurable  to  swim  in — is  an  embryo  boulevard.  The  place  is 
yet  in  its  infancy.  Walks  are  lined  out  and  bare  stumps  of 
trees  planted,  but  there  is  not  a  blade  or  leaf  of  green  to  be 
seen  ;  only  sharp  gravel,  dust,  and  the  imminent  peril  attend- 
ing every  step,  of  tumbling  down  numerous  dry  and  ancient 
wells,  rather  uncomfortably  gaping  open  to  receive  you.  To 
compensate  for  these  dangers  there  is  music  occasionally  in  the 
evening,  and  you  may  have  brackish  ice-cream  from  perambu- 
lating Greeks,  to  wash  the  dust  out- of  your  throat. 

I  made  a  visit  to  this  suburban  promenade  the  day  after 
our  arrival.  The  whole  population  had  congregated  there, 
and  among  the  throng  I  saw  the  daughter  of  the  modern 
Greek  hero,  Botzaris.  I  recalled  to  mind  a  long  time  before, 
the  budding,  rounded  form  of  a  Greek  beauty  ;  the  transparent 
olive  skin,  the  rich  glossy  tresses  twined  in  the  blue  silk 


86  SOAMPAVIAS. 

fringe  of  the  gold  embroidered  cap ;  the  close-fitting  rich 
scarlet  jacket,  the  short  skirt,  pretty  ankles  and  slippered  feet ; 
and  I  tried  also  to  trace  a  resemblance  to  her  in  the  matron 
enshrouded  in  blue  muslin,  of  rather  a  stoutish  presence,  who 
sauntered  sedately  beside  me.  But  alas !  time  has  not  re- 
spected the  charms  of  the  lovely  royal  favorite,  and  I  could 
discover  no  resemblance  to  the  girl  I  sought.  Indeed,  the  dry 
dust  and  insufferable  heat  of  Attica  soon  withers  the  fairest 
flower. 

There  is,  in  fact,  but  one  color  in  the  town  and  out  of  the 
town — up  the  rocky  hills,  and  down  the  rolling  slope ;  the 
houses,  the  rocks,  the  very  dust,  the  sky,  the  faces  and  the  legs 
of  the  population  are  all,  without  an  exception,  tinged  with  a 
sickly  yellow. 

When  the  music  ended,  Bristles  and  I  stumbled  again  into 
the  Piraeus.  We  inspected  the  markets,  smelled  the  fried 
fish,  looked  into  the  wine  vaults,  and  listened  to  the  toper 
chants  of  the  modern  Greek  tiplers.  We  were  at  the  same 
time  interested  in  examining  the  resources  and  facilities  the 
publicans  have  for  keeping  drunken  individuals  from  doing 
mischief  during  their  hilarious  and  convivial  hours. 

The  arrangement  is  novel,  and  consists  of  a  long  latticed 
or  railed  pen,  built  some  six  feet  from  the  floor  over  the 
wine  casks,  where  through  an  aperture  the  inebriates  are 
pitched,  and  then  caged  until  they  get  sober. 

The  vaults  themselves  are  large  affairs,  with  a  tap  at  one 
corner,  and  the  rest  of  the  space  around  the  walls  filled  with 
huge  jars  and  casks.  We  did  not  taste  the  juice  from  these 
vats,  but  moved  on  along  the  badly-paved  arcades  of  the 


PORTO      LEONE.  87 

quay,  until  we  were  shown  up  a  gloomy  dirty  stairway,  and 
found  ourselves  in  a  mean  hotel,  and  the  only  establishment  of 
the  kind  in  the  Piraeus.  There  was  a  small  begrimed  oaken 
box  of  a  billiard- table,  and  a  few  flea-filled  rooms,  all  ready 
for  voyagers.  We  remained  but  a  brief  space  to  inspect  the 
larder,  to  interrogate  the  Italian  renegade  who  conducted 
the  locanda,  with  respect  to  his  prices  for  ales,  wines,  and 
provender,  and  then  vanished. 

Descending  to  the  ground,  we  were  accosted  by  a  vender 
of  antiquities.  He  was  very  mysterious,  and  led  us  by  a  ser- 
pentine course  into  a  grocer's  shop,  to  examine  the  antique 
treasure  he  desired  to  dispose  of.  After  cautiously  threading 
the  mazy  windings  of  a  magazine  of  bags  of  grains,  beans 
peppers,  jars  of  oil,  wine,  and  an  infinite  variety  of  comesti- 
bles, we  were  taken  into  a  darksome  hole,  where,  striking  a 
light  to  a  tallow  wick,  our  guide  pointed  to  a  corner,  and 
our  eyes  fell  upon  an  old  champagne  basket!  This  we 
approached,  and  the  lid  being  opened,  we  perceived  a  piece 
of  sculpture,  with  some  half  a  dozen  badly  carved  figures  on 
the  surface.  The  price  demanded  was  a  trifle — a  month's 
pay  or  two — but  since  the  marble  was  broken,  defaced, 
muddy  and  imperfect,  and  as  we  strongly  suspected,  in  our 
ignorance  of  these  matters  of  high  art,  that  there  was  nothing 
beautiful  about  it,  moreover,  that  it  was  an  effort  of  some 
very  modern  Phidias — and  a  very  poor  one  too — we  accord- 
ingly declined  the  purchase. 

Indeed,  as  a  general  rule,  it  is  best  to  steer  clear  of  all  such 
commodities,  whether  of  rusty  pottery,  acidulated  coins,  of 
images;  or  fragments  of  sculpture — recently  dug  up,  with 


88  SCAMPAVIAS. 

mutilated  ears  and  noses — in  an  indistinct  state  of  physiog- 
nomical preservation — with  mortar  or  brick-dust  rubbed  into 
them — even  if  they  do  bear  a  dreamy  resemblance  to  the  old 
Greek  orators  or  warriors ;  it  is  well  to  avoid  them. 

We  had  received  a  polite  invitation  to  visit  the  Maid  of 
Athens,  now  Mrs.  Black,  and  thither  we  went.  Now  I  am 
not  given  to  invading  the  privacy  of  families,  or  lugging 
unobtrusive  individuals  before  the  public,  to  please  anybody ; 
nor  is  it  my  intention  to  do  so  now,  but  the  Maid  of  Athens 
is  historical,  and  as  I  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming  well 
acquainted  with  her  husband  and  amiable  family,  I  may 
be  excused  for  breaking  through  my  resolution  in  this 
instance. 

We  soon  found  the  dwelling,  and  joined  the  family  circle 
on  the  little  balcony.  There,  by  starlight,  I  saw  for  the  first 
time,  the  Maid  of  Athens.  It  would  not  do  for  me,  as  a 
veracious  historian,  to  say  that  the  nice,  comfortable  little 
woman  sitting  in  the  corner  there,  was  the  same  fresh  girl 
that  my  Lord  Byron  wrote  sonnets  to ;  for,  in  truth,  Time  is 
no  respecter  of  girls  or  boys,  and  I  question  much  if  the  noble 
poet  himself  had  been  alive  at  this  present,  whether  he  would 
so  well  have  preserved  the  freshness  of  heart  or  youth,  or 
been  so  good  in  health  and  temper,  as  the  pleasant  matron 
he  once  professed  to  adore,  some  forty-two  or  three  years 
ago! 

I  have  had  many  a  cosy  chat,  many  a  pipe  of  latakia,  and 
many  a  hearty  laugh  with  the  Maid,  and  I  still  hope  to 
indulge  myself  in  like  manner  again.  I  say  nothing  of 
Mademoiselle  Carolina,  the  younger  maid,  who  is  as  hand- 


PORTO     LEONE.  89 

some  a  young  woman  as  her  mother  before  her,  and  sings  the 
sweetest  of  Greek  ballads;  nor  of  Jack  Black,  junior,  as 
elegant  a  youth  as  ever  figured  in  a  ball-room — but  who, 
poor  fellow,  died  afterwards  of  cholera  in  the  Black  Sea. 
No!  my  mission  was  with  the  original  Maid  herself.  She 
assured  me  that  most  of  the  information  vouchsafed  the 
world  by  ambulating  tourists,  with  respect  to  her  early  life 
and  proclivities,  was,  in  plain  Turkish — all  bosh — humbug. 
All  she  recalled  of  the  distinguished  poet,  who  made  her 
famous,  was,  that  when  a  little  chit  of  a  girl,  Byron  boarded 
at  her  father's  house ;  that  he  wrote  verses  to  her,  as  well  as 
to  her  sisters ;  and  that  when  under  the  influence  of — poetic 
gin,  perhaps — she  had  heard  that  he  wished  to  spirit  her 
away  somewhere.  But  of  this  she  was  ignorant  at  the  time, 
and  don't  think  she  would  have  been  carried  off  by  anybody ; 
and  felicitates  herself,  moreover,  in  having  waited  to  be  loved 
and  married  by  her  present  worthy  liege. 

After  pipes  and  brandy  cherries — these  last  preserved  by 
the  Maid's  own  hands— we  stole  away,  and  sauntered  down 
to  the  water's  side.  We  were  struck  with  the  population 
quietly  occupying  imaginary  sleeping-chambers  on  the  pave- 
ments. They  lay  by  scores,  like  soldiers  in  guard-rooms, 
their  heels  projecting  over  the  curbstones,  and  wrapped  in 
their  "shaggy  capotes,"  with  anything  but  "snowy  chemises" 
around  them.  They  did  not  seem  to  be  very  loving,  but 
they  did  a  good  deal  of  snoring ;  were  half  naked,  and  most 
decidedly  Greek. 

The  next  day,  his  majesty,  King  Otho,  of  Greece,  was  to 
leave  his  dominions  to  visit  his  vaterland.  It  was  said  his 


90 


0  AMP  A  VI  AS  . 


constitution  was  feeble,  and  he  needed  to  inflate  himself  with 
the  effervescing  waters  of  Germany,  so  as  to  restore  his 
energies  and  sparkle  him  up  a  bit  for  work. 

The  royal  embarkation  was  appointed  for  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  but  after  every  preparation  had  been  made  by  all  the 
vessels  of  war  in  the  harbor — the  crews  dressed,  life-lines  rove 
on  the  yards,  boats  in  readiness,  and  what  not — his  lazy 
majesty  kept  us  until  sunset,  before  he  drove  down  to  the 
quay. 

Besides  a  few  paltry  Greek  men-of-war  in  the  Piraeus,  and 
the  Cumberland,  there  was  a  French  squadron,  with  a  mag- 
nificent ninety-gun  steamer,  the  Charlemagne,  with  a  trice  up 
screw  and  a  funnel  that  opened  and  shut  like  an  opera  glass. 
There  were,  also,  a  brace  of  Russian  corvettes,  which  were 
handled  in  a  style — whether  in  evolutions  of  sails  or  guns — 
that  elicited  unbounded  admiration. 

There,  in  the  little  quiet  sheet  of  water  we  all  lay,  and 
as  the  royal  cortege  drew  up  on  the  quay,  the  ships,  in  an 
instant,  were  attired  in  their  motley  array  of  flags  fluttering 
in  brilliant  patches  of  parti-colored  bunting  from  the  trucks 
to  the  hulls.  Then,  as  the  royal  couple — for  the  Queen  came 
to  see  the  fun — stepped  into  their  white  and  gilded  barge, 
the  heavy  thunder  of  the  artillery  began,  while  the  sailors  in 
pyramidal  lines  stood  out  on  the  wide  and  lofty  yards.  In 
a  few  minutes,  the  fire  of  so  many  batteries  and  tiers  of  guns 
made  the  little  harbor  thick  with  smoke,  and  nothing  could 
be  seen  or  heard  save  the  sharp  red  vivid  flashes,  as  they 
burst  from  the  mouths  of  the  cannon,  and  the  reverberating 
peals  of  sound. 


PORTO     L.EONE.  91 

The  Russians  and  ourselves  fired  leisurely,  as  usual,  but  the 
Frenchmen  let  fly  broadside  after  broadside  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, and  the  effect  was  exceedingly  fine.  There  was  a  good 
breeze  blowing,  and  when  the  cannonade  and  smoke  rolled 
away,  the  ships  appeared  dressed  in  perpendicular  streams  of 
flags,  while  more  than  three  thousand  sailors  were  linked  out 
upon  the  black  spars,  and  their  measured  and  hoarse  hurrahs 
arose  in  musical  harmony  to  the  very  heavens. 

Presently  the  royal  barge  ran  alongside  the  Greek  steamer 
Otho ;  shortly  after  she  grappled  her  anchors,  and  steering 
amid  the  fleet,  the  guns  and  cheers  again  made  the  hills 
shake,  as  she  dashed  out  of  the  gates  of  the  Piraeus.  A 
French  steamer  followed  in  her  wake,  to  bring  back  Queen 
Amelia,  and  towards  midnight  she  returned  with  her  pretty 
passenger.  The  vessel  was  illuminated  by  a  multitude  of 
colored  lanterns  on  the  masts  and  rigging,  while  the  bow, 
stern,  and  paddle-boxes  were  blazing  with  blue  lights,  so  as 
to  give  her  the  semblance  of  a  floating  transparency  as  she 
skimmed  over  the  calm  water  towards  the  port.  On  enter- 
ing the  gates,  at  a  signal  from  the  French  Admiral,  the 
whole  Piraeus  became  a  blaze  of  light.  Lanterns  swung  as 
if  by  magic  from  the  mastheads  and  shrouds  of  the  ship. 
The  yards  were  again  manned,  the  white  dresses  of  the 
sailors  contrasting  strangely  with  the  blue  lights  without 
number,  which  cast  their  intense  glare  around ;  while  rockets 
went  streaming  and  bursting  in  fiery  showers,  with  their 
galaxies  of  stars,  up  into  the  sky,  until  the  harbor,  town  and 
hills  far  and  near,  were  a  brilliant  mass  of  flame  and  light. 

The  Russians,  however,  bore  off  the  palm.     It  seemed  as 


92  SCAMPAVIAS. 

if  every  man  on  board  their  vessels  was  an  independent  pyro- 
technical  laboratory  and  had  an  inexhaustible  stock  of  fire- 
works at  his  disposal.  This  we  accounted  for  in  some  degree, 
by  the  taste  they  indulge — according  to  popular  belief — in 
feeding  on  lamp-oil  and  candles. 

For  the  third  and  fourth  time  did  the  Russian  ships  flash 
out,  rigging,  masts  and  hulls,  in  one  gorgeous  atmosphere  of 
burning  port  fires  and  blue  lights ;  we  thought  they  would 
never  cease  blazing,  nor,  indeed,  would  they,  had  not  the 
bright  flames  been  quenched  first  by  the  French  and  Greeks. 
We  watched  the  whole  scene  until  cheers  from  the  quay 
announced  that  her  majesty's  feet  again  trod  her  dominions, 
and  the  last  rocket  vanished  amidst  the  stars. 

The  display  lasted  full  half  an  hour.  The  moon  had  gone 
down,  and  nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  effect 
produced.  Neither  the  illuminations  of  Saint  Peter's  and 
the  Arno,  nor  the  grand  festa  of  Saint  Rosalia  at  Palermo, 
compared  with  it. 

We  were  the  only  man-of-war  that  did  not  enter  fully  into 
the  spirit  of  this  affair,  and  while  all  the  floating  castles  were 
glittering  with  fire,  we  lay  black  and  silent  amid  the  throng. 
The  fact,  is  that  the  government  does  not  put  expensive 
material  of  that  nature  on  board  our  ships  to  be  idly  wasted 
for  mere  show. 

But  when  the  thing  was  ended,  the  few  thousand  car- 
tridges exploded,  together  with  the  few  thousand  dollars  the 
noise  and  flame  cost,  the  king  sea-sick  and  the  queen  asleep, 
what,  after  all,  was  all  the  fuss  about  ? 

Merely  the  silly  worship  of  a  poor,  weak-minded,  imbecile, 


POKTO     LEONE.  93 

vacillating  prince,   who  has  been  balanced  on  the  Greeks7 
shoulders  to  rule  and  misgovern  them. 

It  served  one  purpose  however,  by  inducing  the  ignorant 
masses  to  regard  their  kings  as  divinities,  just  lowered  out  of 
heaven ;  but  the  day  is  coming  when  the  people  will  hoist 
them  up  again,  though  possibly  not  quite  so  high. 


94 


SCAMPAVIAS, 


Chapter    VIII. 

1  Sometimes  misguided  by  the  tuneful  throng, 
I  look  for  streams  immortalized  in  song, 
That  lost  in  silence  and  oblivion  lie ; 
Dumb  are  their  fountains  and  their  channels  dry, 
Yet  run  forever  in  the  Muse's  skill, 
And  in  the  smooth  description  murmur  still." 

"  La  mattina  al  monte  e  la  sera  alfonte." 


Pinnacle    of   Pentellicus. 

WE  were  a  long  while  at  the  Piraeus,  where  I   passed   the 
life  of  a  parched  chestnut,  during  the  parching;  for  such 


PINNACLE    OF.PENTELLIOUS.         95 

a  boiling  pool  of  water,  held  in  a  basin  of  sun-roasted  mar- 
ble, does  not  exist  anywhere. 

One  salamanderish,  red-hot  morning,  while  turning  our 
parched  eye-balls  towards  the  high  mountains  around,  we 
resolved  to  shake  off  our  lassitude,  and  seek  a  mouthful  of 
fresh  air  on  the  cool,  tall  peak  of  Pentellicus. 

We  left  the  seething,  smoking  frigate,  her  black  wales 
throwing  off  an  atmosphere  of  lambent  heat,  and  landed  at 
the  port.  There  we  hallooed  our  obliging  friend  Black  to  his 
balcony,  fresh  from  his  mid-day  siesta,  and  succeeded  in  dra- 
gooning him  into  a  spare  seat  in  a  carriage  which  we  had 
chartered  for  the  occasion. 

Now,  our  friend  Black  is  not  only  the  husband  of  the  ori- 
ginal maid  of  Athens,  bless  her  good  amiable  soul,  but  an 
accomplished  linguist,  and  a  highly  intelligent  and  entertaining 
gentleman.  He  came  to  Greece  with  that  gallant  old  buc- 
caneer, Lord  Cochrane,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution, 
and  has  not  only  seen  service,  but  is  as  conversant  with  the 
affairs  of  the  country,  and  the  rascalities  of  the  rulers,  as  the 
prime  minister  himself;  perhaps  more  so.  Withal,  our  friend 
Black  has  an  appreciative  relish  for  rollicking  about  the 
world,  and  can  tell  a  pure  Havana,  or  a  good  glass  of  sherry, 
wherever  he  finds  them.  For  my  part,  I  almost  adored 
Black. 

Our  coach  was  an  old  rattle-trap  of  a  superannuated  tra- 
velling chase,  evidently  sold  off  the  grande  route,  and  furbished 
up  for  Greece.  I  had  the  front  seat ;  but  as  the  cushion  was 
as  hard  as  lignum  vitae,  and  a  mere  ledge  of  about  four  inches 
wide,  I  kept  slipping  off,  while  my  feet  and  legs  became  numb 


96  SCAMPAVIAS. 

in  striving  to  maintain  an  equilibrium  of  bottom,  so  that  I 
was  fain  to  take  a  place  outside  with  the  driver. 

Leaving  the  broken  streets  of  the  port,  we  struck  into  the 
main  road,  and  then  jolted  on  as  uncomfortably  as  could  be 
expected.  There  was  a  breeze  blowing  up  the  gulf,  which  sent 
the  dust  flying  in  choking  clouds  around  us.  The  horses 
were  not  to  our  taste,  not  being  excitable  creatures,  though 
their  Jehu  was,  and  he  continually  made  a  noise  to  urge  them 
on,  very  like  to  a  person  trying  to  light  a  hard  rolled  cigar. 
Like  all  Greek  drivers,  he  was  attired  in  the  red  fez,  tight 
jacket,  and  a  lot  of  nasty  petticoats. 

The  plain  between  the  Piraeus  and  Athens  was  once,  per- 
haps, very  beautiful.  Of  late  years,  however,  owing  to  the 
sloth  and  indifference  of  the  government  and  people,  the  rav- 
ages of  war  and  the  Turks — when  the  Moslems  were  good 
enough  to  cut  down  the  famous  olive  groves  that  had  with- 
stood the  brunt  of  centuries,  so  that  their  cavalry  could  prance 
about  to  advantage — what  with  all  these  causes,  there  is  little 
left  in  the  landscape  pleasant  for  the  eye  to  dwell  upon. 
There  is  nothing  green  to  be  seen,  except  at  intervals  clusters 
of  pale,  sickly  olives,  a  mournful  fig-tree,  or  a  few  patches  of 
corn.  All  else,  from  the  shores  of  the  blue  gulf  to  the  dried, 
baked  hills  of  the  interior,  presents  the  same  desolate,  arid 
aspect.  We  passed  a  small  herd  of  camels,  browsing  along 
the  plain,  and  even  they  would  at  times  raise  their  sharp 
snouts  to  heaven,  as  if  beseeching  the  gods  to  send  them  some- 
thing green  and  grassy  to  feed  upon. 

About  mid-way  to  the  city  is  a  cluster  of  sheds  and  wells, 
where  snarling  curs  are  trained  to  bark  horses  to  a  halt; 


PINNACLE    OF    PENTELLIOUS.        97 

where  vile  fiddles  are  scraping  incessantly  for  the  enjoyment 
of  travellers;  and  where  nauseous  resin  wine  and  strong 
liquids  for  bipeds,  besides  water  for  horses,  are  to  be  had. 
The  proprietor  of  the  principal  shop  seemed  a  retired  Pirate, 
as  indeed  he  was,  living  in  easy  circumstances  after  his  perils 
by  sea.  He  was  a  sociably  disposed  rascal,  and  fond  of  slap- 
ping respectable  individuals  on  the  legs,  designating  them 
familiarly,  in  imperfect  Saxon,  as  his  "  chummies,"  not  forget- 
ful, at  the  same  time,  to  extend  the  hospitality  of  his  bottles. 
On  one  occasion,  however,  he  tried  this  innocent  little  game 
with  our  Admiral,  who,  in  return,  gave  him  such  a  double- 
jointed  twist  in  the  arm  as  to  incapacitate  the  Pirate  for  his 
favorite  amusement  for  some  time  to  come. 

When  times  became  dull  on  shore,  the  Pirate,  it  was  said, 
sought  his  natural  element,  and  labored  in  his  vocation; 
captured  a  becalmed  bark  occasionally — murdered  the 
crew — and  then  solaced  himself  on  land  until  the  season 
again  became  productive.  It  was,  perhaps,  an  adventurous 
sort  of  life,  for  now  and  then  a  sharp  little  vessel  of  war 
would  give  chase  to  him,  and  sometimes  put  his  friends  to 
death  without  mercy. 

In  an  hour  from  the  Piraeus  we  left  the  temple  of  Theseus, 
looking  very  rusty,  on  our  right,  and  entered  the  city  of 
Pericles, 

Pausanias,  who  was,  I  imagine,  a  very  respectable  old 
alderman  or  street-surveyor  in  the  ancient  time,  has  given  us 
a  tolerably  fair  idea  what  the  city  was  then.  Now,  however 
the  modern  Athens  is  not  only  the  very  worst  attempt  at  a 
civilized  built  town,  but  it  is  pitched  in  the  wrong  place. 

5 


98  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Instead  of  planting  it  on  one  of  the  fine  sites  upon  the 
eminences  about  the  Piraeus,  where  blue  water  and  commerce 
could  be  had  at  the  gates,  the  present  enlightened  monarch 
of  the  empire,  fearful  of  insult  from  hostile  cannon,  has  not 
only  built  his  own  dreary  white  box  of  a  palace  out  of  gun- 
shot from  the  sea,  but  has  encouraged  his  subjects  to  raise, 
likewise,  their  habitations  around  him.  Upon  the  very  grave, 
too,  of  the  old  city,  and  beneath  the  shade  of  the  noble  ruins 
of  the  Acropolis ;  instead  of  leaving  them  alone  in  their 
grandeur,  free  from  the  contamination  of  houses  of  mud 
and  sticks,  the  unpaved  streets  and  foul  markets  of  the  mush- 
room town. 

The  main  street  is  a  double  succession  of  filthy  cafes  and 
Samian  wine-shops,  where,  all  the  day  and  a  greater  por- 
tion of  the  night,  in  the  clouds  of  dust,  fleas,  dirt,  and  heat, 
sit  the  petticoated  Athenians,  sucking  their  pipes  and  mous- 
taches, playing  draughts  and  dominoes,  and  tippling.  Idleness 
and  vagabondizing  seem  to  be  predominant  traits.  Save  in 
a  few  tradesmen's  shops,  where  one  sees  a  little  gaudy 
embroidery  going  on  for  the  gay  legs  or  sleeves  of  their 
compatriots,  industry  is  not  known.  Positively  no  one 
works.  Even  on  the  plains  and  on  the  hillsides,  the  very 
goatherds  and  shepherds  lay  down  their  crooks,  and  them- 
selves beside  them,  sleeping  away  their  lives.  Pipes  and 
petticoats  constitute  the  Greek  existence. 

We  drove  through  these  idle  vagabonds  of  Greeks — 
through  their  miserable  town,  to  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  with 
a  crack  of  the  whip  that  fairly  startled  the  red-legged  sentry^ 
dozing  on  post,  at  the  gateway.  Other  soldiers,  likewise, 


THE    ACROPOLIS.  99 

in  blue  legs,  who  were  reposing  in  the  dust,  near  to  a  small 
park  of  field  guns,  raised  up  to  stare  at  us,  when,  feeling 
satisfied  the  country  was  safe,  they  relapsed  again  into  their 
several  retreats. 

We  ascended  to  the  second  story  of  the  house,  and  found 
very  decent  apartments;  for  the  hotel  was  new  and  com- 
modious. There  we  reclined  on  ottomans  until  the  sun 
should  hide  his  red  and  burning  face  behind  the  hills  of 
Salamis. 

A  permit  was  procured  to  visit  the  Acropolis  by  night,  and 
at  the  going  down  of  the  sun  we  departed  from  our  caravan- 
sary, dressed  in  mufti,  and  provided  with  some  small  stores 
of  tobacco  and  drinks. 

Traversing  a  labyrinth  of  filthy  lanes,  we  came  to  the  monu- 
ment of  Lysicrates.  This  exquisite  little  ruin,  with  its  light, 
elegant  Corinthian  columns,  stands  in  the  midst  of  dilapidated 
hovels,  the  whole  structure  nearly  undermined,  and  seeming 
about  to  tumble  to  the  ground.  The  great  monuments, 
which  fringe  the  sky  above,  look  down  in  pity  upon  their 
delicate  and  decaying  child. 

From  Lysicrates  we  wandered  around  the  base  of  the 
Acropolis,  by  the  Temple  of  the  Winds,  the  Ancient  Market, 
and  the  Stone  Grain  Measures,  until  we  reached  the  pathway 
leading  to  the  height,  when  we  shortly  entered  the  main 
approach  to  the  Acropolis  itself.  We  found  ourselves,  after 
our  fatigue,  on  gaining  the  Propylse,  in  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion; but  on  getting  into  the  open  nave  of  the  Parthenon, 
amid  the  white  marbles — which  at  least  looked  cool — and 
becoming  posed  in  the  solid  chairs  of  the  elders,  with  the 


100  SCAMPAVIAS. 

night  breeze  from  the  gulf  about  our  brows,  which  was  in 
reality  cool,  we  found  satisfaction  in  looking  around  us.  The 
majestic  columns  of  the  Parthenon  towered  in  their  silent  and 
imposing  magnificence,  like  sentinels  of  the  old  world,  beside 
us.  The  easy,  graceful  figures  of  the  Caryatides  seemed 
about  to  step  from  beneath  their  burdens,  and  wander  in 
the  opaque  moonlight  amid  the  huge  fallen  columns  and 
fragments  of  marble,  while  the  bats  flitted  about  our  heads 
as  if  incensed  at  mortals  for  daring  to  invade  their  lonely 
haunts. 

It  was  matter  of  discussion  with  us,  however,  whether  in 
these  modern  days  something  equally  magnificent  and  more 
utilitarian  could  not  be  constructed ;  and  we  thought,  too, 
what  a  capital  speculation  a  cute  Yankee  might  make  by 
transforming  the  Parthenon  into  an  ice-cream  saloon,  with  an 
oyster-box  in  the  Temple  of  Victory,  and  spittoons  at  the  base 
of  every  column. 

Besides  Jack  Toker,  Mr.  Benedict,  Black,  and  myself,  we 
were  accompanied  by  a  stray  and  forlorn  traveller,  in  the  per- 
son of  an  Indian  gentleman,  from  Benares,  who  bore  about 
his  garments  a  bag  containing  guide-books,  a  telescope,  an 
edition  of  Byron,  and  other  aids  to  memory,  all  in  heavy 
sight-seeing  order.  We  were,  moreover,  attended  by  a  brace 
of  venerable  grey-beards,  who  had  heard  the  Turkish  shots 
whistle  about  their  ears  in  the  same  precincts,  and  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  ciceroni,  ostensibly  to  guard  against  pilfering,  but 
forgetful  of  their  calling,  became  surreptitiously  tipsy,  and  we 
might  have  shouldered  half  the  loose  sculpture  in  the  Acro- 
polis, and  they  have  been  none  the  wiser. 


THE    PARTHENON.  101 


As  it  is  not  probable  that  the  reader  and  I  may  vi^ii 
noble  ruins  again  together,  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  one  or 
two  matters  which  have  recently  come  to  light,  and  are  not 
as  yet  universally  known.  For  some  time  back  excavations 
have  been  going  on  to  determine,  if  practicable,  the  long 
mooted  question  of  the  true  entrance  to  the  Acropolis.  This 
problem  has  at  length  been  solved  ;  for  on  digging  down  the 
western  face  of  the  Propylae,  they  laid  bare  a  great  deal  of 
work  of  the  Roman  era,  and  at  last  came  to  the  natural  rock 
itself.  Here  are  the  indisputable  proofs  of  the  design  for  the 
grand  entrance,  by  the  old  Greek  architects.  The  rock  is 
graded  for  a  wide  flight  of  steps  leading  directly  to  the  temples 
above,  and  the  very  grooves  are  visible  in  the  rock,  which 
were  worn  by  the  ropes  used  in  hoisting  up  the  marble  from 
below. 

The  other  matter  I  refer  to,  is  a  very  singular  cohesion 
which  has  taken  place  in  the  southwestern  column  of  the 
Parthenon.  Two  of  the  sections  of  the  shaft,  a  few  feet  from 
the  base,  have  become  absolutely  joined  together,  either  by 
some  organic  or  atmospheric  agency.  So  perfect  and  posi- 
tive is  the  cohesion,  that  a  fragment  of  the  marble,  when 
struck  by  a  blow  from  a  hammer,  will  split  off  vertically,  and 
show  no  sign  of  their  earlier  separation.  This  phenomenon 
exists  also,  in  two  places  in  the  steps  to  the  portico,  near  the 
column,  and  neither  M.  Pittakis,  the  learned  conservator  of 
the  ruins,  nor  other  savans  have  as  yet  been  able  satisfacto* 
rily  to  account  for  it. 

In  the  same  portico  you  can  see  the  place  where  Lord 
Elgin  had  scratched  his  name,  together  with  those  of  his  coun- 


102 


SCAMPAVIA 


try  wen.  *  Arrorg  the  first  shots,  however  fired  by  the  Turks 
from  the  Areopagus  in  1821  (so  say  the  Greeks),  a  cannon 
ball  scaled  off  the  name  of  his  lordship  from  the  desecrated 
shaft,  leaving  the  names  of  his  friends  in  the  following  order 
under  the  English  Union  Jack. 


When  we  had  become  fully  sated  with  repose  and  wonder, 
we  betook  ourselves  down  the  steep  face  of  the  hill,  and  bent 
our  steps  towards  the  temple  of  Jupiter.  Under  the  shade  of 
the  giant  columns  we  wandered  awhile  amid  the  stacks  of 
corn  and  heaps  of  wheat,  and  then  returned  by  the  new  Bou- 
levard to  the  city. 

It  was  midnight  when  we  regained  our  inn,  and  then  we 
found  our  supper  ready  served  in  the  grand  saloon.  The 


LIFE.  103 


dishes  tasted  to  me  as  insipid  as  everything  looked  in  Greece  ; 
but  the  wine  of  Saint  George  was  not  on  the  same  standard. 
Several  friends  joined  our  party,  and  presently  we  beheld  a 
gentleman,  in  the  fez  cap,  petticoat,  and  red  embroidered  leg 
costume,  approach  also. 

"  Hillo  !"  quoth  we,  rather  sharply,  to  his  apparition,  as  he 
carelessly  sauntered  into  the  room,  "  what  the  deuce  do  you 
want  here  ?" 

He  gave  an  abashed  sort  of  look,  but  quickly  informed  us 
that  he  was  not  only  the  owner  of  the  hotel  we  tarried  at,  but 
also  of  the  "  Orient."  He  was  a  handsome  dog,  with  eyes 
twinkling  with  fun,  and  taking  a  seat  at  table,  we  soon  became 
warmly  attached  to  him.  He  was  a  wit,  too,  and  baptized 
Benedict  as  Bifstek,  on  account  of  his  fondness  for  those  deli- 
cacies. Eliaa  was  our  host's  name  ;  he  had  been  courier  of 
the  grand  route,  and  not  only  understood,  but  talked  a  little 
of  every  known  tongue  in  the  universe.  We  played  the  piano, 
sang  North  American  war-whoops,  danced  Patagonian  reels, 
and  made  merry  exceedingly. 

It  was  getting  to  be  very  late,  and  after  making  arrange- 
ments for  horses,  cold  luncheon,  and  to  be  called  at  daylight, 
I  took  my  leave  of  the  party.  Elias,  however,  would  persist 
in  attending  me  to  my  chamber,  where  he  undressed  me 
as  carefully  as  a  baby,  tucked  me  up  in  bed,  caressed  my 
great  toe,  and  then  left  me  to  repose.  I  went  off  to  sleep, 
while  the  cheers  and  songs  of  my  companions  rose  high  and 
wild  in  the  still  night. 

It  did  not  seem  to  me  that  I  had  slept  a  wink,  when  I  was 
aroused  by  Elias,  who,  standing  at  the  bedside,  with  my  big 
toe  again  in  his  hand,  induced  the  belief  that  he  had  not 


104: 


So  AMP  A  VIAS. 


left  me  a  moment;  but  it  was  daylight,  I  could  see  from 
the  lofty  windows,  and  the  fresh  morning  air  came  in 
deliciously. 

"  Come,  Cappin,  git  up — Bifstek  no  go." 

"  Well,"  I  yawned,  "  we  don't  want  beefsteak,  only  coffee 
for  breakfast,"  thinking  our  landlord  meant  to  apologize  for 
want  of  that  viand  at  our  morning  meal. 

Presently,  however,  I  heard  him  calling  Jack  Toker,  in  the 
adjoining  room,  and  exclaim,  "  Come,  Cappin,  must  git  up, 
but  Bifstek  no  go." 

Losing  all  patience  at  his  pertinacity,  we  sung  out,  "  Dam 
beefsteak,  we'll  have  chicken." 

Whereupon,  Elias  chirped  out  with,  "  Bifstek  say  dam,  too, 
but  he  no  git  up,  and  no  go.  Him  boots  outside  !" 


ON    HORSEBACK.  105 

Then  it  was  we  recollected  he  was  designating  our  friend 
Benedict,  and  wished  to  convey  the  idea,  that  he  did  not 
desire  to  accompany  us  on  the  proposed  jaunt  to  Pentellicus. 
To  evince  our  approbation,  we  seized  Elias  around  his  waspy 
red  waist  and  waltzed  him  about  like  a  dervish. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  had  coffee,  saw  a  rickety  old  fourgon 
stowed  with  our  man  Angelo  and  the  provender,  and  then, 
our  steeds  being  ready  in  the  court-yard,  we  adjusted  the 
stirrups,  and  vaulted  into  the  saddle.  Our  acquaintance  from 
Benares  bidding  us  God-speed,  the  while,  as  he  peered  with 
his  bottle-green  colored  eyes  over  an  upper  balcony,  and  com- 
plained of  his  natural  rest  having  been  disturbed  in  the  night. 

The  horses  were  very  good,  spirited,  and  not  hard  of  gait ; 
the  trappings,  however,  were  somewhat  worn  and  out  of 
repair.  We  passed  out  of  the  city  by  the  palace,  and  took  the 
road  along  the  base  of  Lykabatus.  Droves  of  donkeys,  which 
were  all  Mexican,  save  the  crimson-jacketed  Greeks  astride 
them,  for  a  time  powdered  the  air  with  dust ;  but  soon  we 
got  beyond  the  market-people,  and,  though  the  sun  was 
getting  up,  and  a  little  warm,  we  enjoyed  the  ride  extremely. 
Trotting  a  few  miles  over  the  bare  plains,  groves  of  venerable 
olives  began  to  rear  their  gnarled  roots,  and  seamed,  per- 
forated trunks,  over  the  landscape,  while  the  perfume  of 
thyme,  sage,  and  bright  flowering  oleanders,  filled  the  atmos- 
phere. Still  further,  we  turned  down  a  little  ravine,  where  a 
rill  of  water  ran,  and, 

"  Where  winds  with  reeds  and  osiers  whisp'ring  play," 

amid   a  rich  vegetation    of  canes,  and  where   undergrowth 

5* 


106  SCAMPAVIAS. 

and  green  grasses  sprang  up,  cool  and   refreshing  to  look 
upon. 

Leaving  the  plains,  we  began  to  mount  easily  up  the  slopes 
of  Pentellicus,  by  an  excellent  road,  constructed  by  the 
Duchesse  de  Plaisance.  This  lady,  since  dead,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  Count  de  Marbois,  and  born  in  Philadelphia,  while 
her  father  was  the  French  Consul  to  our  country.  She  was 
a  reigning  belle  under  the  empire,  and,  if  I  mistake  not, 
invented,  when  queen  of  the  mode  in  Paris,  the  riselle  velvet 
hats.  For  many  years,  .the  duchess,  having  forsaken  the 
vanities  of  fashion,  has  resided  in  Athens,  and  devoted  a  large 
income  to  benevolent  purposes.  She  was  said  to  be  a  free- 
thinker on  religious  matters,  and  was,  withal,  somewhat 
eccentric,  her  chief  pleasure  consisting  in  building  houses, 
but  never  completing  them. 

About  nine  o'clock,  we  reached  a  grove  of  silver-bark 
poplars,  at  a  height,  perhaps,  of  fifteen  hundred  feet-  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  in  close  proximity  to  an  ancient 
Greek  monastery,  and  famous  for  a  pure,  sparkling  fountain 
of  icy  cold  water,  which  falls  splashing  into  a  large  marble 
bowl,  shaded  by  the  lofty  trees  around.  On  this  spot,  so 
delightfully  cool,  pic-nics  are  made  for  the  court,  and  the  elite 
of  Athens  come  to  dance  upon  the  turf;  and  here  we  pro- 
posed to  lunch  on  our  return  from  the  mountain. 

We  dismounted,  watered  the  horses,  and  waited  until  we 
heard  the  thumps  and  shouts  of  Angelo,  while  enticing  his 
beast  to  pull  the  fourgon  up  the  hill,  when  we  put  foot  in 
stirrup,  and  began  the  ascent  of  Pentellicus. 

We   steered   first   for    the   quarries.     The   road   led   up 


GOING    UP.  107 

between  two  sharp  ridges,  over  loose  fragments  of  white 
marble,  that  had  poured  down  in  clippings  from  the  deep 
veins  above.  As  we  ascended,  the  pathway  became  steep,  and 
the  foothold  precarious.  At  intervals,  we  paused  to  breathe 
the  animals  or  look  down  the  gorge,  and  again  we  clambered 
on,  until  at  last  we  found  our  progress  barred  by  a  rocky 
defile,  too  perpendicular  for  further  ascent.  In  fact,  we  had 
either  mistaken  the  road,  since  it  is  rarely  travelled,  or  else 
the  debris  of  rocks  and  roots  had  blocked  it  up  by  the  rush 
of  torrents  and  storms. 

While  my  companions,  leaving  the  bridles  to  their  horses 
in  my  hands,  went  on  a  tour  of  exploration,  to  find,  if  possi- 
ble, a  better  track,  I  remained  staring  at  the  ancient  quarries, 
those  wombs  of  beautiful  Art  that  gave  birth,  in  a  rude 
state,  to  the  noble  offspring  in  the  Acropolis.  The  old 
Athenian  wedge  had  cut  the  huge  blocks  in  smooth  and  even 
surfaces  from  the  parent  mine,  while,  at  the  fissures  from 
where  the  material  was  quarried  to  build  the  new  Palace  in 
Athens,  the  rough,  jagged  points  and  shivered,  blackened 
ledges  showed  plainly  how  the  villainous  saltpetre  was  used 
to  dig  it  out,  and  where  king  Otho's  pioneers  blasted  the  pure 
marble  in  a  wasteful  and  wanton  manner. 

There  was  not  a  man  at  work  in  the  bowels  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  we  only  saw  two  blocks,  roughly  hewn,  which 
appeared  to  have  been  lying  on  the  brink  of  the  quarry  for 
many  years.  The  larger  might  have  contained  ninety  or  one 
hundred  cubic  feet  of  marble,  and  upon  inquiry  afterwards 
of  a  Greek  master  mason,  its  probable  cost  at  the  Piraeus,  he 
told  me,  that  owing  to  the  great  expense  of  transportation,  it 


108  SCAMPAVIAS. 

would  be  valued  at  about  four  thousand  drachmas,  or  eight 
hundred  Spanish  dollars. 

Indeed,  there  are  none  of  the  modern  contrivances  for 
getting  the  stone  out  of  the  quarries,  by  derricks  or  shears 
— *and  none  either  for  swinging  it  without  damage  to  the 
paths  below.  When  quarried,  it  is  simply  tumbled  down  the 
steep,  and  then  moved  to  its  destination  on  rollers. 

My  friends  returned  without  being  able  to  find  an  accessi- 
ble pathway,  and  we  almost  determined  to  picket  the  beasts 
and  make  the  remainder  of  the  journey  on  foot.  Reflecting, 
however,  from  my  experience  of  Mexican  mountain  passes, 
and  scrambles  in  California,  that  an  active  horse  could  tread 
wherever  a  man  could  walk  without  using  his  hands,  I 
accordingly  went  away  on  a  little  scout  by  myself,  and  after 
a  time,  discovered  a  practicable  route. 

We  took  the  bridles  and  moved  on.  The  tramp  was  pre- 
carious, and  though  the  animals  were  tolerably  sure-footed, 
yet  occasionally,  they  quivered  on  the  smooth,  rocky  heights, 
and  seemed  on  the  point  of  sliding  down  by  the  run.  By 
care,  however,  and  patience,  we  gained  the  flanks  of  the  Five- 
fingered  Mountains,  and  then  our  difficulties  ceased.  Mount- 
ing, we  rode  to  one  of  the  eastern  finger  peaks,  where, 
springing  upon  a  great,  hoary,  moss-covered  block  of  marble, 
the  sight  beneath  amply  repaid  our  toil.  But  there  was  yet* 
a  higher  point  to  reach,  and  only  stopping  to  quaff  long 
draughts  of  icy  water  from  a  little  natural  reservoir  of  a 
shepherd's  well,  scooped  out  of  the  rock,  we  swung  into  the 
saddle  again,  and  picked  our  way  cautiously  up  the  steep. 
Wild  pinks,  bright  yellow  flowers,  herbs  and  mosses  were 


PINNACLE    OF    PENTELLICUS.        109 

strewed  over  the  mountain,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  their 
perfume.  Presently  we  secured  our  beasts,  and  accomplished 
the  remainder  of  the  ascent  on  foot. 

Then  we  stood  upon  the  pinnacle  of  Pentellicus.  There 
was  no  marble  above  our  heads,  nothing  but  the  brilliant  sun 
in  a  cloudless  sky,  and  the  pure  blue  ether  of  heaven.  But 
below  what  a  magnificent  panorama  of  landscape  beauty  lay 
marked  like  a  map  at  our  feet ! 

To  the  east  the  plains  of  Marathon,  carpeted  by  fields  of 
green  and  yellow  grain — with  the  curving  white  beach  ter- 
minated by  the  half-moon  promontory ;  then  the  sea,  like  a 
calm  lake  dotted  by  islands;  while  Negropont  with  its 
towering  mountains  stretched  away  up  the  coast  toward 
Olympus,  and  only  separated  by  a  narrow  belt  of  blue  water 
from  the  main ;  then  nearer  arose,  in  endless  succession,  the 
hills  around  Marathon,  dipping  in  many  a  nook  and  dale  off 
to  the  west,  when  the  gaze  is  trailed  on  in  the  arc  of  a  circle 
over  the  country,  until  it  is  arrested  again  by  the  Straits  of 
Salamis.  There  we  saw  the  distant  lofty  mountains  of  the 
Morea,  Egina,  Corinth,  and  Cape  Colonna,  all  mingled  with 
the  blue  water  of  the  gulf;  then  nearer,  the  plains  of  Daphne, 
where  the  green  groves,  specked  with  bright  dwellings,  resem- 
bled a  strong  sea-breeze  ruffling  in  white  caps  the  waves.  To 
the  left  was  Athens  amid  the  noble  temples ;  beyond,  Hymettus, 
and  nearer,  just  at  our  feet,  the  waving  verdure  of  the  poplar 
grove.  In  one  single  whirl  around,  the  eye  sweeps  in  all  of 
Attica,  with  the  mountains  and  sea  which  clasp  it. 

For  a  long  time  we  reclined  on  the  rocks  gazing  at  the  pic- 
ture that  nature  presented  to  our  view,  while  ever  and  anon 


110  SOAMPAVIAS. 

the  shrill  whistles  of  the  goatherds  and  shepherds  arose  from 
the  hillsides  a  great  way  off,  and  the  partridges  answered  the 
calls  from  their  nestling  thickets.  The  sun  had  passed  the 
meridian  when  we  began  our  descent,  and  this  we  found  to  be 
a  more  ticklish  feat  than  the  scramble  up.  We  had  to  lead 
the  horses  nearly  all  the  way  down ;  but  since  we  had  accom- 
plished our  purpose  in  getting  up,  we  were  willing  to  pay 
liberally  for  the  enjoyment. 

Reaching  the  base  of  the  quarried  acclivities,  we  mounted, 
and  then,  at  quicker  pace,  galloped  down  to  the  rendezvous 
at  the  fountain.  Here  giving  our  good  beasts  water  and  a 
browse  upon  the  grass,  we  dabbled  in  the  little  torrent  until 
Angelo  announced  luncheon.  We  had  appetites  as  sharp  as 
a  famished  shark's,  and  each  bracing  his  wearied  back  against 
a  tree — forming  a  triangular  breakfast-table  of  the  turf — we 
fell  to  with  a  will. 

Lord  !  how  refreshingly  cool  was  the  claret,  the  ale,  and 
the  sherry ;  and  how  we  tossed  the  cups,  after  every  draining 
into  the  bubbling,  plashing  water,  so  that  not  a  breath  of 
chill  might  escape  our  lips;  and  how  we  slashed  into  the 
chicken,  the  cold  fillet  of  beef,  the  French  rolls,  and  the 
salad  ;  utterly  regardless,  in  our  prodigality,  of  the  fond  looks 
of  a  hungry,  dirty  old.  monk  from  the  adjacent  monastery.  He 
was  robed  in  a  tattered  garment  of  frieze — as  ancient,  appa- 
rently, as  that  of  the  Parthenon,  and  he  kept  his  eyes  riveted 
upon  our  operations.  But  very  sad  it  makes  me  now  to  think, 
that  that  unhappy  anchorite,  after  Angelo  had  taken  his  por- 
tion, found  nothing  but  bones  and  cheese -parings  to  polish 
his  pious  teeth  upon.  We  recompensed  him,  however,  with 


SAINT    SPIEIDION.  Ill 

a  few  coppers,  which  he  implored  us  not  to  divulge  to  his 
brother  the  abbot,  fearing,  perhaps,  lest  that  prebendary  might 
demand  a  share. 

The  meal  ended,  we  borrowed  from  the  friar  a  couple  of  large 
rugs,  and,  after  being  well  beaten  to  knock  the  fleas  out  of 
them,  they  were  spread  upon  the  grass  in  the  densest  shade 
of  the  wood.  Then,  with  the  fourgon  cushions  for  pillows, 
we  betook  ourselves  to  siesta.  0 !  how  soft  seemed  our 
couch,  and  how  gratefal  to  our  tired  limbs ;  and  then  when 
we  awoke,  so  wide  awake,  how  our  yells  of  delight  re- 
sounded, as  a  sailor's  only  can  on  shore,  to  the  echo  among 
the  silent  trees ! 

We  took  a  douche  in  the  fountain,  and  while  our  steeds 
were  being  saddled,  and  Angelo  moving  away  with  the  train, 
we  entered  the  crumbling  old  pile  of  mud,  stones,  and  sticks, 
called  the  Monastery.  In  the  centre  of  a  quadrangle  stood  a 
small,  roughly-built  chapel.  Within  were  a  number  of 
worm-eaten  old  books  upon  a  coarse,  ill-constructed  altar,  and 
around  were  a  few  rude  pictures  of  the  Virgin  and  saints.  I 
believe  there  is  no  intelligible  difference  between  the  doctri- 
nal points  of  the  Roman  and  the  Greek  or  orthodox  Eastern 
churches.  The  forms  are  nearly  the  same  in  both,  and  the 
only  palpable  dissimilarity  is  that  the  Greeks  abhor  images, 
and  worship  paintings. 

Among  the  pictures  which  decorated  the  wall  of  the  chapel, 
was  an  ideal  portrait  of  Saint  Spiridion.  He  it  is  that  is  even 
now  preserved,  in  the  bones,  in  Corfu ;  exhibited  four  times  a  year 
to  cure  all  disorders  of  the  flesh  ;  who,  once  in  a  while,  makes 
journeys  from  his  present  abode  in  Ionia,  under  the  sea  to 


112  S  CAMP  AVI  A  S. 

Attica,  and  always  returns  with  seaweed  sticking  to  his  toes. 
He  it  was,  too,  who  disconcerted  the  wise  men  of  Ionia,  with 
his  splendid  miracle  of  the  brick-bat,  as  it  illustrated  the  Holy 
Trinity ;  and  he  is  at  the  same  time  an  inexhaustible  mine  of 
wealth  to  the  happy  family  who  own  him  by  hereditary  de- 
scent; hiring  him  out  for  processions,  war,  pestilence,  or 
famine,  as  the  market  may  require.  Oh  !  a  wonderful,  famous 
fellow  is  Saint  Spiridion  ! 

But  I  am  wandering  from  the  Monastery.  The  sides  of  the 
quadrangle  contained  little,  filthy,  close  cells  for  the  brother- 
hood, about  six  feet  square  each.  Passing  through  a  gateway 
we  entered  quite  an  extensive  vegetable  garden,  where  some 
slight  labor  had  been  bestowed,  and  where  the  monks  enjoy 
a  luxury,  rarely  known  in  Attica,  an  abundance  of  excellent 
water. 

Our  guide  of  the  tattered  raiment  informed  us  that  he 
could  read,  and  that,  out  of  a  hundred  of  his  order,  only  five 
had  survived  the  past  fifty  years  ;  most  of  them  having  been 
massacred  by  the  noble  Turks.  In  the  days  when  the  Sultan's 
Pashas  held  Greece  under  subjection,  justice  was  administered 
as  in  a  Tartar  camp,  according  to  the  savage  judgment  or 
untrammelled  wish  of  the  Turkish  rulers.  It  is  not  then  to  be 
wondered  at,  that  the  monasteries,  which  were  reputed  wealthy, 
underwent  a  fair  share  of  the  penalties  inflicted.  Our  guide 
related  also,  that  during  the  revolution,  this  old  rookery 
had  been  occupied  by  the  Moslems,  and  that  he  had  lived  for 
six  months  at  a  time  in  the  quarries  and  caverns  of  Pentelli- 
cus,  depending  for  subsistence  on  what  he  could  take  at  night, 
from  the  vineyards  below. 


THE    POPLAR    GROVE.  113 

Taking  to  horse,  we  rode  slowly  around  the  grounds  and 
dwelling  of  the  Duchesse  de  Plaisance.  The  building  stands 
on  an  eminence,  and  is  called  the  maison  de  la  lune  de  miel, 
in  compliment  to  the  married  lovers  who  are  invited  to  pass 
their  honeymoons  there. 

Continuing  on  down  a  valley,  we  came  to  an  angle  of  a 
ravine,  where  the  same  eccentric  lady,  in  one  of  her  archi- 
tectural freaks,  has  built  the  shell  of  a  large,  handsome  white 
marble  chateau.  The  site  is  remarkably  well  chosen,  and 
commands  a  view  down  the  valley  to  the  plains  and  gulf. 
The  building  was  quite  unfinished.  We  paced  in  and  about 
the  court-yards,  where  a  spout  of  water  bursts  from  the  heart 
of  a  living  rock,  and  then  giving  rein,  we  dashed  by  a  bridle- 
path on  our  course.  In  a  couple  of  hours,  we  once  more 
stood  upon  the  plain  at  the  base  of  Mount  Hymettus,  and 
trotting  along  by  the  margin  of  the  once  famed  Illysus,  now 
but  a  dry  bed  of  pebbles,  we  shortly  struck  the  main  road 
with  Athens  before  us. 

During  the  whole  jaunt,  I  was  more  than  ever  impressed 
by  the  striking  resemblance  between  Attica  and  Upper 
California.  Here  we  saw  the  groves  of  dull  green  olives 
like  the  scrub  live  oaks  of  the  vales  of  California,  and  both 
held  in  by  arid,  sterile  hills  (in  one  case,  however,  of  marble, 
and  the  other  of  gold) ;  then,  too,  the  wild  flowers,  the 
herbs — more  especially  thyme,  which  here  gives  the  taste  to 
honey  of  Hymettus,  as  it  does  to  the  wild  honey  and  game 
of  California ;  and  then,  too,  the  warm,  yellowish  misty  haze 
of  the  atmosphere,  plains,  hills,  and  general  aspect  of  the 
landscape,  is  very  like  indeed.  There  is  also  a  touch  of  the 


SCAMPAVIAS. 

western  world  in  the  animal  kingdom.  The  jackasses  have 
the  same  brazen  lungs  as  those  in  the  far  west.  And  the 
pathetic  cries  of  those  in  our  vicinity,  rending  the  air  with 
their  laments,  as  if  to  break  their  hearts  outright,  made  us 
believe  they  were  inquiring  about  their  nomadic  relatives 
in  the  Americas.  It  may  be  interesting  to  modern  Greek 
scholars  to  know  that,  according  to  my  friend  Black,  the 
noise  these  creatures  make  is  designated  as  yadapo^ovr), 
which  being  rendered  into  the  vulgate,  meaneth  yadap6$ — 
ass,  (f>ovri — sound. 

It  was  past  nine  o'clock  when  we  threw  ourselves  from  the 
backs  of  our  trusty  steeds,  at  the  gate  of  the  Hotel  d'Angle- 
terre,  and  were  pressed  to  the  scarlet-clad  bosom  of  our  host 
Elias,  the  ci-devant  courier  of  Saint  Etienne. 

We  made  a  light  and  hasty  dinner,  paid  the  score,  which 
cleaned  us  out,  and  summoning  a  coach,  we  rattled  out  of  the 
town,  toward  the  Piraeus.  I  was  seated  on  the  box  behind 
the  driver,  who  appeared  to  me  in  the  twilight  like  the  Jack 
of  Diamonds,  and  I  have  an  imperfect  recollection  of  falling 
asleep  and  being  suddenly  jolted  awake,  and  escaping  a  fall 
beneath  the  wheels  every  few  seconds,  until  we  stopped  at 
the  Pirate's  domain.  There  we  had  a  bowl  of  lemonade,  and 
then,  by  way  of  precaution,  I  put  an  arm  through  the  loose 
embroidered  sleeve  of  the  coachman's  jacket ;  so  that,  if  I 
tumbled  off  the  perch,  he  would  share  the  same  fate.  Thus 
I  rode  soundly  and  safely  asleep,  to  the  Port,  where,  after  a 
saddle  ride  of  about  forty-five  miles,  a  little  tramping  afoot, 
and  not  a  copper  in  our  purses,  we  pulled  on  board  the 
Frigate. 


GOING    TO    COURT. 


115 


Chapter 


"  We  may  roam  thro'  this  world  like  a  child  at  a  feast, 
Who  but  sips  of  a  sweet,  and  then  flies  to  the  rest  : 
And  when  pleasure  begins  to  grow  dull  in  the  East, 
We  may  order  our  wings  and  be  off  to  the  West." 


n./\. 


LTSICRATES. 


Going    to    Court. 

TOWARDS  the   close  of  our  sojourn  in   Greece,   we  were 
presented  at  court.     At  the  appointed  hour,  our  party,  six- 


116  ScAMPAVIAS. 

teen  in  number,  drew  up  at  the  north  front  of  the  palace. 
This  structure  is  a  great,  dreary,  square  marble  box,  with 
holes  in  it,  and  entirely  destitute  of  architectural  beauty. 
The  site  is  not  badly  chosen — on  a  slight  elevation  facing  the 
Acropolis — and  it  has  a  garden  on  both  fronts.  One  of 
them  is  planted  over  ruins  of  some  antiquity,  and,  by  great 
labor,  irrigation,  and  expense,  the  leaves  of  shrubs  and 
flowers  are  made  tolerably  green  and  bright. 

We  passed  up  a  broad,  winding  marble  staircase,  and, 
traversing  a  long,  lonely  corridor,  were  shown  into  an  ante- 
room ;  a  square  apartment,  gaily  painted  on  walls  and  ceil- 
ings, and  the  floor  laid  in  mosaic  of  dark  polished  wood. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  in  came  a  puny,  bodkin- 
waisted  gentleman,  with  a  narrow  head,  and  sharp,  irregular 
features,  who  was  announced  as  Chamberlain  to  the  Queen. 
He  spoke  nothing  but  Greek ;  and  as  the  education  of  most  of 
us  in  that  branch  of  learning  had  been  neglected,  that  is,  in 
a  conversational  way,  a  very  few  words  were  interchanged ; 
we  had  time,  however,  to  admire  his  costume,  which  was  a 
master-piece  of  art. 

During  a  pause,  a  pair  of  folding-doors  opened,  and  the 
order  of  our  procession  being  arranged,  we  followed  our 
minister  into  the  reception-room,  it  was  of  similar  dimen- 
sions to  the  one  we  had  left,  except,  that  the  light  was 
thrown  from  the  eastern  angle  through  two  lofty  windows, 
between  which  stood  a  crowned,  carved,  and  gilded  chair  of 
state.  A  magnificent  Turkey  rug  and  a  few  chairs  consti- 
tuted all  the  furniture. 

We  formed  a  semicircle.  The  Queen  stood  in  the  centre, 
and  a  lady  with  skinny,  bare  arms,  possibly  of  remote  origin, 


QUEEN   AMELIA.  117 

was  placed  a  few  paces  off,  and  did  not  budge  during  the 
ceremony.  The  Queen  was  very  becomingly  attired  in  a  sim- 
ple half  dress.  She  wore  a  light  wreath  of  green  buds  and 
red  flowers  over  the  smooth  bands  of  her  brown  hair.  The 
dress  was  cut  low,  with  short  sleeves,  and  in  my  fancy 
perhaps,  or  to  my  inexperienced  vision,  it  seemed  rather 
tightly  laced ;  but  yet  it  developed  a  full  bust  and  roundly- 
turned  arms.  The  color  of  the  dress  was  light  green,  and  of 
the  flimsy  gossamer  fabric  that  ladies  usually  wear  in  the 
summer.  The  feet  were  clothed  in  black  satin  shoes.  The 
toilette  was  completed  by  a  necklace  and  bracelet  of  fine 
pearls.  I  remembered  when  her  majesty's  waist  was  thinner; 
when  a  light,  gay,  sprightly,  pretty,  young  bride,  she  first 
came  to  Greece ;  but  though  twice  seven  years  had  drifted 
by  since,  she  was  still  a  very  handsome  woman,  comfortably 
embonpoint,  with  fine  teeth,  eyes,  hair,  and  complexion. 

So  soon  as  we  had  taken  our  position,  the  Queen  glided 
gracefully  up  to  our  Ambassador — for  she  had  no  one  to 
assist  her  in  the  presentations — and,  with  a  very  winning 
smile  and  animated  face,  began  the  conversation.  She 
chatted  easily  and  pleasantly  on  a  variety  of  topics ;  the 
antiquities,  the  bathing,  the  views,  the  king's  health,  and  the 
Turks.  She  spoke  so  sweetly,  too,  of  the  heat,  that  I  almost 
wished  myself  a  salamander,  so  as  never  to  have  the  ungra- 
ciousness to  complain  again.  From  the  Minister,  she  moved 
on  around  the  line  of  blue-jackets,  complimenting  the  Com- 
mander- in-chief,  and  making  some  little  appropriate  speech 
with  infinite  tact  to  each.  At  the  end  of  her  tour,  she 
returned  again  to  the  Ambassador,  smiled,  courtesied  the 


118  SCAMPAVIAS. 

reception  over,  and  we  all  glissee'd  backwards  with  many  a 
bow  out  of  her  presence. 

As  the  doors  to  the  ante-chamber  were  closing,  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  Queen  as  she  ran  up  to  the  antique  attendant, 
and,  throwing  up  her  hands  and  laughing,  evidently  asked  if 
she  had  not  made  a  favorable  impression  upon  the  Yankees.  In 
my  opinion,  she  decidedly  did ;  and  I  thought  her  Majesty  a 
very  well-bred  and  captivating  woman  ;  though,  I  trust,  I  am 
not  overstepping  the  limits  of  courtly  phrase,  by  speaking  of 
this  Royal  personage  as  a  mere  mortal. 

The  chamberlain  received  our  final  adieux,  and  we  left  the 
palace. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  here,  that  there  was 
a  dinner  given  a  few  days  after  at  the  Otho  palace ;  but  I 
regret  to  add,  that  I  was  not  invited  with  the  other  distin- 
guished persons  who  composed  the  party.  I  acquit  her 
Majesty,  however,  of  all  intentional  blame  or  slight  in  the 
transaction.  It  was  the  Lord  Chamberlain  himself  who 
deprived  me  of  a  good  dinner,  because  I  was  not  a  major,  he 
said.  The  delusion  he  appeared  to  struggle  under  was,  that 
our  marine  was  modelled  upon  the  Mexican  army  system,  more 
generals  than  troops — more  captains  than  sailors  ;  and,  more- 
over, he  forgot,  that  an  aid-de-camp  goes  with  his  chief  to  bat- 
tle or  dinner,  as  the  case  may  be. 

Again,  it  was  a  piece  of  unmitigated  cruelty  on  the  part  of 
the  chamberlain  functionary,  who  presumed,  perhaps,  on 
account  of  his  own  slimness  and  tightness  of  waist,  which  was 
a  physical  obstacle  to  taking  food  without  violent  effort,  that  I, 
too,  would  not  be  distressed  at  the  loss  of  a  dinner.  In  that 


MARBLE    THIEVES.  119 

belief  he  was  mistaken,  and  I  not  only  went  off  my  usual 
nourishment  at  the  gun-room  mess-table  for  some  days,  out 
of  pure  chagrin,  but  I  cherish  to  this  moment  a  singular 
vindictiveness  towards  that  Chamberlain,  and  hope,  when  the 
matter  is  fully  explained  to  his  handsome,  charming  Queen,  she 
will  disgrace  him  on  the  spot. 

The  dinner  business,  however,  was  only  the  beginning  of 
my  sorrows  in  Greece.  I  had  a  small  piece  of  marble  given 
to  me  by  a  gentleman  in  Athens,  and,  accordingly,  it  was 
boxed  up  and  transported  to  the  port.  There  it  was  stolen 
by  a  couple  of  rascally  Greek  boatmen,  who  believed  it  to  be 
silver.  The  police  seized  the  thieves  and  box;  but,  on 
applying  for  my  property,  I  was  informed  that  a  commission 
would  have  to  sit  upon  the  marble,  to  see  if  there  was  any 
ancient  carving  upon  the  same.  When  this  result  was  arrived 
at,  a  long  negotiation  ensued.  Application  was  made  to  all 
branches  of  the  government,  including  the  Conservator  of  pub- 
lic works ;  and  it  was  not,  I  believe,  until  the  matter  had 
been  discussed  in  -cabinet  council,  and  the  assent  of  the  Prime 
Minister  obtained,  that  I  was  entitled  to  receive  my  own. 

After  all  these  troubles,  we  were  not  sorry  to  leave  Greece  ; 
for  where  there  is  great  heat,  great  dust,  and  nothing  good  to 
eat  or  drink,  rational  enjoyment  is  at  discount ;  and,  although 
we  ate  honey  from  Hymettus,  had  ice  from  Parnassus — maybe 
from  Helicon,  because  it  was  so  muddy — bathed  in  the  tomb 
of  Themistocles  also,  and  had  the  ruins  of  Attica  standing  in 
bold  relief  against  the  sky  at  all  times,  yet  we  did  not  regret 
leaving  the  country. 


120  SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter  X. 

A    Night    off   Malta. 

WE  sailed  from  the  Piraeus  on  the  seventh  of  August,  and 
we  fluttered  and  waltzed  between  calms  and  perverse  'breezes, 
out  of  the  Archipelago,  where  old  Nick  would  have  been 
obliged  to  have  fanned  himself,  and  where  cool  air  was  worth 
a  guinea  the  mouthful. 

At  the  expiration  of  a  week,  we  were  rolling  off  Malta,  and 
with  an  early  sea-breeze,  we  entered  the  harbor  of  Valetta, 
between  the  frowning  batteries  of  Saint  Elmo  and  Saint 
Angelo.  We  moored  well  up  the  harbor,  abreast  Spencer's 
monument,  and  in  full  view  of  the  rude  mottoes  which  the 
sailors  of  various  English  men-of-war  had  painted  in  white- 
wash on  the  tufo  sides  of  the  hills,  "Happy  Vengeance," 
"  Jolly  Britannia,"  and  so  forth. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  parched  appearance  of  the  island  ; 
foliage  scarcely  exists,  and  even  without  the  hot  siroccos 
from  Africa,  the  climate  in  mid-summer  is  almost  insup* 
portable. 

Before  letting  go  the  anchors,  the  ship  was  surrounded  by 


A    NIGHT    OFF   MALTA.  121 

a  great  flotilla  of  boats— gaily  painted  they  are,  with  curv- 
ing prows  like  Dutch  skates — which  attended  us  in  floating 
procession  to  our  berth  at  the  anchorage.  We  were  also 
beguiled  by  music ;  and  little  impish,  naked  children  without 
number,  were  screaming  like  cockatoos  with  the  bronchitis,  to 
attract  our  notice. 

"  Offisar,"  they  yelled,  "  won  pennee  for  make  little  niggar 
dive,"  or,  "won  little  niggar  for  dive  pennee,"  ringing  the 
changes  on  the  nigger,  and  confounding  themselves  with  the 
penny  incessantly,  while  at  the  same  time  they  stood  in 
troops  on  the  gunwales  of  the  boats,  ready  to  plunge  five 
fathoms  under  water  at  the  merest  symptom  of  a  coin. 
There  were  also  a  horde  of  bigger  savages,  with  coal  black 
hair  and  swarthy  yellow  features,  who  boarded  the  frigate  by 
storm,  and  thought  nothing  of  charging  bare-breasted,  full 
tilt,  at  the  sentries  on  the  gang-boards,  in  spite  of  their 
bayonets,  so  eager  were  they  to  exhibit  their  testimonials  for 
traffic. 

We  soon  got  pratique,  and  I  went  on  shore.  Landing 
at  the  Custom-house,  I  passed  through  the  Lascaris  gate,  and 
found  myself,  with  the  thermometer  at  100°,  in  the  city  of 
stairs. 

Up,  up,  over  the  interminable  smooth  stone  steps,  as  right 
and  left  the  same  long  serrated  ascents  are  visible,  until 
on  gaining  the  ridge  of  the  town,  with  trembling  calves,  the 
toil  is  over.  Descending  again,  I  took  boat  and  pulled  across 
the  narrow  harbor  to  the  dockyard ;  a  slip  of  an  inlet,  the 
second  on  the  left  from  the  sea,  flanking  the  terrible  batteries 
of  Saint  Erasmus,  the  patron  saint  of  seamen. 

6 


122  SOAMPAVIAS. 

The  water  in  these  inlets  is  very  deep,  and,  as  at  Venice, 
the  houses  rise  from  the  brink.  Here  is  a  dry-dock,  a 
magnificent  steam  bakery,  and  the  public  buildings  of  the 
arsenal. 

I  called  upon  the  Admiral,  a  hale,  hearty  old  gentleman, 
with  white  hair,  but  I  had  no  idea  of  the  years  of  the 
head  it  covered,  until  he  mentioned  having  known  some 
of  our  officers  in  the  West  Indies  in  '95.  I  could  merely 
smile  my  incredulity. 

The  next  morning  I  went  on  an  official  visit  to  the  Gover- 
nor of  Malta.  We  rowed  to  the  landing  at  Valetta,  and 
found  vehicles  in  waiting  on  the  quay,  of  a  genus  quite 
distinct  from  the  race  elsewhere,  and  called  calessos.  They 
are  solid  square-bodied  affairs,  with  one  or  two  seats,  resting 
on  leather  springs  slung  to  heavy  shafts,  with  a  single  pair  of 
wheels  stuck  on  behind.  They  are,  in  fact,  magnified 
editions  of  wheelbarrows,  though,  I  should  judge,  not  near  so 
pleasant  for  locomotion.  Mounting  or  descending  the  steep 
streets  from  the  lower  town  is  at  best  an  arduous  under- 
taking, particularly  should  the  horse  lose  foothold  and  the 
calesso  get  stern  board ;  for  then  the  retrograde  movement 
must  be  very  unpleasant  indeed,  until  one  happens  to  slide 
off  into  ever  so  deep  water,  or  be  pitched  down  a  gaping  dry 
moat,  or  over  a  precipitous  parapet.  Fortunately,  we  escaped 
these  not  unfrequent  accidents,  and  got  out  within  the  palace 
court-yard  in  perfect  safety. 

The  palace  was  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Grand  Master 
of  the  knights  of  Malta,  and  is  a  great  quadrangular  building 
of  two  stories,  constructed  of  brown  tufo  sandstone.  The 


A    NIGHT    OFF   MALTA.  123 

exterior  is  not  striking,  but  within  are  contained  many 
valuable  and  interesting  relics  of  the  feats  and  exploits  of  the 
renowned  conquerors  of  Jerusalem. 

We  passed  up  an  easy,  winding,  but  very  broad  stairway — 
where  a  troop  of  horse  could  easily  mount,  three  abreast, — 
as  no  doubt  they  did  in  times  past,  with  mail-clad  warriors 
on  their  backs — and  crossing  a  long,  lofty  frescoed  corridor, 
we  entered  a  reception  chamber,  and  were  presented  by  an 
aid-de-camp  to  the  "  Storm  king,"  Sir  William  Reid.  He  is 
a  tall  old  gentleman,  with  a  patrician  style  of  face  and  figure, 
clear,  intelligent  eyes,  and  a  very  mild  and  pleasing  expres- 
sion. He  was  surrounded  by  what  seemed  to  me  a  very 
happy  and  exceedingly  handsome  family. 

The  reception-room  was  of  great  size,  with  a  smooth, 
glassy  Venetian  floor,  while  the  spaces  between  the  heavy 
beams  of  the  high  ceiling  were  emblazoned  and  carved  in 
Maltese  crosses  and  other  emblematic  devices  of  the  Order. 
On  the  upper  part  of  the  walls  were  a  series  of  historical 
frescoes,  after  the  manner  of  the  illustrations  of  Froissart, 
depicting  the  brilliant  deeds  of  the  Grand  Masters,  and  below 
them,  a  collection  of  paintings — some  of  merit — which  filled 
the  spaces  between  the  deep  embrasures  of  the  windows. 

After  luncheon,  we  walked  through  the  western  suite 
of  apartments,  where  the  walls  were  covered  with  paintings, 
by  masters  of  repute,  and  among  the  portraits,  a  very  fine  one 
of  Valette.  There  were  also  a  good  many  gems  of  old 
furniture,  quaintly  fashioned  and  richly  carved,  gilded  and 
worm-eaten,  together  with  rare  old  Louis  Quatorze  clocks, 
like  enormous  brass  spiders,  with  a  web  work  of  transparent 


124:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

wheels.     All  of  these  articles,  perhaps,  had  been   presents 
from  foreign  princes  to  the  knights. 

Some  distance  beyond  this  suite,  we  entered  the  Library,  a 
noble  hall,  of  kingly  dimensions,  and  well  lighted  from  above. 
There  was  a  tolerably  large  collection  of  old  books,  many  of 
them  ponderous  tomes  in  white  parchment,  loading  the 
capacious  shelves.  From  the  library  we  went  to  lesser 
rooms,  where  the  librarian,  a  learned  and  highly  intelligent 
person,  aided  by  Governor  Reid,  had  commenced  a  museum 
of  antiquities  of  the  island.  Quite  a  number  of  interesting 
relics,  such  as  sarcophagi,  mummies,  terracotta  and  Etruscan 
vases,  Phoenician  and  Arabic  inscriptions  on  marble,  already 
cluster  around  the  walls. 

From  here  we  visited  the  most  interesting  spot  in  Malta — 
the  grand  armory.  The  hall  itself  is  on  the  same  scale  of 
magnificent  proportions  as  other  parts  of  the  palace,  but 
the  furniture  of  antiquities  is  far  more  valuable.  At  the  time 
of  our  visit,  there  stood  in  parallel  racks,  the  entire  length  of 
the  room,  about  sixteen  thousand  muskets,  of  modern  pattern. 
There  was,  besides,  a  very  curious  and  extensive  collection  of 
fire-locks  and  weapons,  from  their  earliest  use  in  Europe — 
culverins,  wall-pieces,  blunderbusses,  and  the  like — to  the 
present  time.  The  walls  themselves  are  covered  with  an 
immense  number  of  suits  of  plate  armor :  shirts  of  ring 
mail  standing  in  iron  boots,  swords  and  axes  across  them, 
which  all  belonged,  ages  and  ages  ago,  to  the  bold  knights. 

The  greatest  objects  of  note,  are  three  suits  of  beautiful 
armor,  formerly  worn  by  the  Grand-Masters,  Vignacourt, 
L'Isle  Adam,  and  Valette.  That  of  the  first  is  superbly  inlaid 


A     NIGHT    OFF    MALTA.  125 

with  gold.  The  castor  I  tried  on  my  own  head.  It  is  an 
iron  piece  of  hat-gear  that  I  would  not  particularly  care 
to  wear  habitually,  and  it  was  rather  top-heavy,  but  neverthe- 
less, it  was  not  the  weight  I  expected  to  find  it.  Indeed, 
there  is  not,  in  the  whole  collection  of  armor,  a  suit  of 
mail  which  would  be  considered  too  large  for  a  six-footer  in 
our  days,  for,  on  the  contrary,  most  of  this  steel  raiment 
would  be  in  every  respect  too  small  for  the  Anglo-Saxon  race 
of  men  we  see  around  us. 

I  believe  it  is  pretty  generally  understood  now-a-days,  that 
the  desperate  old  knights  we  read  of,  after  being  raised  into 
their  saddles  by  a  derrick,  or  other  contrivance,  and  being 
properly  bolted  and  riveted  to  the  horse,  had  their  lances 
firmly  secured  in  a  horizontal  position,  and  were  then  pur- 
mitted  to  go  into  battle.  I  always  fancy  they  exhibited 
themselves  like  a  policeman's  horse  in  a  riotous  crowd,  kindly 
kicking  over  all  comers,  and  relying  alone  on  main  strength 
and  stupidity. 

After  wandering  a  long  time  around  the  armory,  we  were 
conducted  to  the  famous  tapestry-room,  now  used  as  the 
council  chamber.  The  sides  were  completely  hung  with 
tapestry,  representing  the  "  Four  quarters  of  the  globe." 
I  never  beheld  any  fabrics  of  the  kind  so  truly  magnificent. 
Not  only  are  the  colors  brilliantly  vivid,  and  the  grouping 
natural  and  artistic,  but  the  costumes,  the  foliage,  scenery 
and  natural  productions,  are  admirably  portrayed.  In  the 
South  American  cartoon,  the  poncho  on  an  Indian's  shoulders 
and  his  horse  are  actually  done  to  the  life. 

For  half  an  hour  longer  we  moved  about  the  noble  corn- 


126  SCAMPAVIAS. 

dors,  where,  in  fresco  and  oil,  we  beheld  the  illustrations 
commemorative  of  the  deeds,  in  court  or  camp,  of  the  knights 
and  their  followers.  We  then  took  leave  of  Sir  William 
Reid  and  his  family,  whose  kindness  and  unaffected  hospitality 
very  much  added  to  the  pleasure  of  our  visit. 

Afterwards,  while  strolling  about  the  streets  of  Valetta, 
looking  at  flexile  gold  rings,  ladies'  mitts,  Maltese  crosses,  and 
other  productions  of  the  natives,  to  escape  being  sun-scorched 
to  a  cinder,  I  took  refuge  in  the  great  church  of  Saint  John. 
The  interior  is  a  wide  oblong,  upholding  a  semicircular 
roof  without  groining,  and  like  a  long,  horizontal  half-barrel, 
it  covers  the  nave. 

The  chapel  is  richly  decorated  with  handsome  marbles,  and 
enclosed  by  a  silver  balustrade.  The  church  contains  a  num- 
ber of  statues,  an  immense  deal  of  sculpture,  with  paintings 
and  frescoes ;  and  the  walls  are  closely  and  regularly  relieved 
in  gold  and  blue-colored  crosses  of  Malta. 

The  hour  of  my  visit  was  well  timed,  for  a  part  of  the  vast 
pavement  was  uncovered.  Except  on  great  feast-days,  or 
other  extraordinary  occasions,  without  considerable  expense 
for  the  sight,  the  floor  is  Jkept  carefully  concealed  by  coarse 
matting  and  cloths,  which  no  doubt  adds  very  greatly  to  the 
preservation  of  the  work.  There  is  not,  perhaps,  a  more  splen- 
did exhibition  of  rich  marbles  in  any  edifice  in  the  world  than 
is  contained  in  this  pavement ;  jasper,  agate,  lapis-lazuli,  por- 
phyry, and  other  rare  and  precious  stones,  are  all  gorgeously 
mingled  in  profusion  over  the  sepulchral  repositories  of  the 
knights  of  Saint  John.  For  ages  it  was  a  matter  of  pride 
with  the  relatives  and  friends  of  the  knights,  to  undertake  and 


A    NIGHT    OFF    MALTA.  127 

adorn  these  monuments  in  the  highest  state  of  splendor  and 
art. 

There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  seen  in  Malta  of  interest,  and 
also  in  society,  but  our  stay  was  so  brief  that  we  barely  had 
time  to  take  more  than  a  passing  peep.  The  garrison,  during 
our  visit,  amounted  to  about  three  thousand  troops.  We 
found  the  officers  remarkably  civil  and  hospitable.  The  mili- 
tary club  is  a  fine  building,  once  a  hotel  of  the  knights.  We 
were  treated  there  with  great  cordiality,  by  a  lot  of  good  fel- 
lows, who  went  so  far  in  their  hospitality,  at  times,  as  to  propose 
a  throw  of  brandy,  or  soda,  a  devilled  biscuit,  a  pint  of  Bass,  and 
the  like  refreshments.  It  was  a  question  with  me,  whether 
even  the  former  occupants  of  that  club  could  have  been  as 
jovial,  and  preserve,  the  while,  an  equilibrium  in  their  wrought- 
iron  boots,  as  did  the  hearty  soldiers  in  their  scarlet  jackets, 
when  we  enjoyed  the  solace  of  their  society. 

Leaving  these  convivial  blades,  we  said — 

"  Adieu  ye  joys  of  La  Valette, 
Adieu  sirocco,  sun  and  sweat, 
Adieu  ye  cursed  streets  of  stairs." 

and,  buffeting  the  west  winds  with  dogged  indifference,  the 
frigate,  with  a  reef  in  her  topsails,  threw  the  spray  off  her 
bows,  in  beating  round  the  island  of  Sicily. 


128  SOAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter    XI. 

The    Shell    of   Gold. 

ONE  day  we  were  close  beneath  the  bold  mountains,  with 
the  white  walls  and  towers  of  the  city  of  Marsala  beside  us, 
and  the  next  we  rounded  the  Egadean  group,  where  was  a 
venerable  castle  on  the  rocky  bluff  of  Maritime,  which,  from 
its  isolated  position,  might  very  readily  gratify  the  most 
ardent  thirst  for  salt  water  and  solitude  in  the  heart  of  man. 

After  passing  Trapani  and  Mount  Saint  Julien,  capped  by 
a  Saracenic  castle,  we  found  ourselves  on  the  northern  shores 
of  Sicily,  with  the  headland  of  cape  San  Vito  jutting  up 
clear  and  fearlessly  before  us. 

In  the  morning  we  cast  anchor  in  the  bay  of  Palermo, 
with  the  conca  dora,  or  shell  of  gold,  as  the  plain  is  called, 
scooped  out  between  bold  promontories,  and  closed  in  by  a 
lofty  wall  of  hills  beyond.  The  city  is  built  upon  the  curv- 
ing sea-shore  rim  of  the  shell,  and  fills  up  the  foreground, 
and  nowhere  are  blue  water,  green,  fertile  valleys,  white 
houses  and  rugged  cliffs  more  harmoniously  blended. 

The  first  move  your  sensible  mariner  makes  upon  getting 
into  port,  is  to  place  his  feet  upon  the  dry  land.  Accord- 
ingly we  took  coach  from  the  Marina,  and  drove  to  a  new 


THE    SHELL    OF    GOLD.  129 

garden  lately  laid  out  on  the  western  limits  of  the  city.  The 
garden  is  formed  amid  ancient  quarries  and  pits,  from  where 
most  of  the  material  used  in  the  construction  of  Palermo 
was  brought.  There  are  groves  of  cypress  and  olives,  shad- 
ing entire  acres  of  verbenas,  bright  flowers  and  shrubs,  while 
fountains  and  running  water  refresh  them,  from  the  diver- 
sified ground  above  to  the  huge  sunken  pots  of  parterres 
below  in  the  excavations.  The  situation  is  well  chosen, 
though,  indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  pitch  upon  any  spot 
near  Palermo  that  does  not  command  a  wide  vista  of  sea, 
valley,  and  mountain. 

From  these  blooming  gardens  we  rolled  on  to  the  great 
Capucin  Monastery  ;  and,  without  wasting  time  in  the  church 
or  adjuncts,  we  descended  at  once  to  the  subterranean  mum- 
mery. Here  are  entombed  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
disgusting  human  semi-petrifactions,  with  hideously  distorted 
jaws  and  faces,  some  frightful  to  gaze  upon ;  while  the  sight 
is  rendered  yet  more  repulsive  by  the  gew-gaws,  or  tinselled 
trumpery,  that  envelop  them.  The  niches  around  the  vaults 
are  expressly  appropriated  to  the  Capucins  themselves,  where 
they  are  standing  perpendicularly  spiked  against  the  walls, 
wrapped  in  the  brown  garbs  and  rope  girdles,  as  in  life. 
Then  again,  countless  multitudes  are  laid  in  trunks,  chests, 
boxes,  or  upright  cases  with  glass  doors,  like  windows  of  a 
show-shop,  all  decked  and  bedizened  in  crumbling,  tattered 
finery,  or  attired  in  coarse  serge,  like  withered,  dried,  horrid 
objects  as  they  are. 

I  learned  that  the  price  of  preserving  a  body  in  this  vast 
charnel  house,  was  four  pauls  and  a  large  wax  candle  a  year, 

6* 


130  SCAMPAVIAS. 

which  contribution,  if  not  promptly  paid,  the  body  is  uncere- 
moniously pitched  down  huge  vaults  beneath,  to  mingle  with 
the  dust  of  myriads  who  have  gone  before  them.  The  pro- 
cess of  preservation  is  effected  by  lime  and  heat,  In  hermeti- 
cally sealed  chambers.  Altogether  there  are  reckoned  to  be 
half  a  million  bodies  contained  within  these  awful  recep- 
tacles. 

The  Capucins,  as  all  the  world  knows,  are  notorious  old 
beggars,  and  pretend  to  feed  all  other  beggars  beside  them- 
selves. They  are  shameless  beggars,  too,  and  importune  one 
without  charity  or  mercy ;  taking  pains  also  to  drop  strangers 
a  line  in  all  languages,  per  post,  should  they  happen  to  stray 
away  from  their  hotel.  Here  is  a  specimen : 

"  The  reverend  monks  of  the  convent  of  Capucins  make  you 
know  they  live  by  alms,  which  they  collect  from  the  benefi- 
cence of  gratifying  men,  dividing  the  revenues  of  daily  beg. 
ging  with  poor  people." 

After  leaving  these  good  Capucins — with  half  a  dollar — we 
took  a  circuitous  drive  around  the  ancient  walls,  and  entered 
the  eastern  gate  of  the  city  by  the  Botanic  and  Floria  gardens. 
The  walls  and  ramparts  generally  are  crumbling  to  decay. 
The  bastions  have  long  since  been  divested  of  cannon,  and  the 
broad  moats  are  merely  dry  ditches  partially  filled  up.  Not 
only  the  walls,  but  the  city  itself  is  built  of  a  perishable  soft 
sandstone,  which  is  soon  worn  away  by  the  action  of  the  ele- 
ments. The  streets,  however,  are  paved  with  solid  blocks  of 
marble  very  smooth,  even,  and  well  drained.  Two  broad, 
straight  avenues  bisect  each  other  at  right  angles,  thus  cutting 
the  town  into  quarters. 


THE    SHELL    OF   GOLD.  131 

I  know  no  city,  except,  perhaps,  the  old  towns  by 

"  Where  foams  and  flows  the  glorious  Rhine," 

— Strasbourg,  for  example — which  presents  so  many  quaint 
and  singular  objects  as  Palermo.  The  prevailing  tone  of 
architecture  is  a  mixture  of  Italian,  Norman,  Grecian,  Morisco, 
and  Byzantine.  Here  are  heavy  Egyptian  gateways  also,  held 
up  by  caryatides,  and  surmounted  by  sphinxes ;  while  queer 
old  carvings  and  tracings  are  sculptured  about  the  pilasters 
and  columns.  Again  Byzantine  peaked  towers  rise  above  all, 
and  below  are  fountains,  or  rather  syphon-like  obelisks,  stand- 
ing boldly  up,  while  water  from  the  valleys  beyond  trickles 
down  the  moss  or  ivy-covered  sides. 

Then  there  are  innumerable  nunneries,  which  line  the  upper 
stories  of  the  tall  buildings  of  the  Stada  Toledo,  latticed  in  by 
iron  grilles,  resembling  bird-cages  for  black-birds,  swinging 
up  in  mid-heaven.  There,  can  be  seen,  through  the  live-long 
day,  clusters  of  frowsy,  podgy  old  nuns,  peering  and  blearing 
down  upon  the  crowded  thoroughfares ;  but  seeming  all  too 
fat  and  sluggish  to  mingle  in  respectable  society.  Nor  is  it 
consoling  to  reflect  with  Dr.  Slop,  that  "  virginity  " — of  that 
stamp — "  peoples  Paradise." 

In  the  suburbs  and  narrow  streets  of  the  city,  where  the  tall 
houses  shut  out  all  light  save  the  blue  ribbon  of  sky  over 
head,  long  reeds  and  canes  protrude  from  the  windows  and 
queer  old  balconies,  hung  with  flaunting  clothes  to  dry  ;  while 
flower-pots  are  suspended  by  wires  across  the  alleys,  or  lean 
lopsided  over  the  ridges  of  the  moss-grown  cornices ;  and 
lower  down  to  the  pavement  are  little  boxes  of  shops,  with 


132  SOAMPAVIAS. 

long  racks  of  macaroni,  like  yellow  icicles,  stiff  and  pointed, 
awaiting  customers.  Then,  the  markets  are  at  hand,  with 
their  babble  of  noises,  and  heaps  of  melons,  vegetables,  and 
fruits  ;  and  then  come  the  fishermen  in  their  long,  looped  red 
caps,  striped  shirts  and  sea-soaked  legs,  with  each  man  his  flat 
wicker  platter,  carrying  the  prey  from  the  bay,  the  fish  rang- 
ed in  fanciful  grouping,  according  to  the  taste  of  their  captors, 
in  green  beds  of  weeds.  Commend  me  to  markets  at  night, 
when  the  lights  are  twinkling,  the  crowd  moving,  and  the  din 
of  bustle  intense. 

A  great  attraction  in  Palermo  is  the  Marina.  It  is  a  broad 
drive  and  walk,  built  from  the  base  of  the  old  ramparts,  where 
the  sea  once  washed  the  walls,  along  the  quietly  curving 
shores  of  the  bay.  A  grove  of  lime  trees  fringes  one  side  of 
the  Marina,  and  midway  is  a  spacious  Corinthian  temple,  where, 
on  fine  evenings,  a  grand  orchestra  makes  music  until  mid- 
night. 

A  day  or  two  after  our  arrival,  we  called  upon  the  Viceroy 
of  Sicily.  His  head-quarters  were  in  the  royal  palace. 
The  building  makes  one  side  of  a  square,  with  the  rear 
resting  on  a  curtain  of  the  ancient  wall  of  the  city.  In 
front  was  a  park  of  eighteen  howitzers,  intended  for  close 
work  with  grapeshot  or  shrapnell  among  dense  crowds  in  nar- 
row streets.  The  pieces  were  ready  limbered,  the  horses 
picketed  near,  beside  the  caissons,  while  at  the  palace  gates 
were  a  battalion  of  Swiss  guards  under  arms.  At  the  court- 
yard we  were  conducted  by  an  aid-de-camp,  through  a  dou- 
ble row  of  soldiers,  to  the  bureau  of  the  Viceroy,  the  Prince 
of  Satriano,  Duke  of  Taormina,  and  so  forth.  He  was  a  man 


THE    SHELL    OF    GOLD.  133 

of  about  sixty-five  years  of  age,  for  he  was  a  lieutenant  at 
Flessing  in  1797,  and  could  not  be  less.  Besides  being  a  dis- 
tinguished military  officer,  he  is  the  son  of  the  celebrated 
Gaetan  Filangieri,  of  Naples.  At  Austerlitz,  he  was  under 
Napoleon  in  command  of  a  squadron  of  horse,  and,  after  a 
brilliant  career  of  arms,  in  which  he  rose  from  colonel  to 
marshal  and  lieutenant-general,  he  finally  reduced  Sicily  to 
subjection  in  the  late  revolution  in  1848.  From  his  dark 
intelligent  eyes,  and  determined  physique,  we  judged  that, 
with  the  thirty-three  thousand  troops  at  his  disposal,  he  was 
quite  capable  of  governing  the  island  for  a  long  time  to 
come. 

The  prince  received  us  with  great  frankness  and  urbanity, 
and  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  experience,  and  extensive  know- 
ledge of  the  world.  At  a  later  day,  when  he  paid  a  vi«it  to 
.the  frigate,  he  said  that  he  felt  some  right  to  tread  the  decks 
of  an  American  ship,  since  his  father  had  been  a  warm  friend 
and  correspondent  of  our  great  Franklin,  whose  letters  he 
had  carefully  preserved  to  this  day, 

At  the  termination  of  the  audience  we  were  ciceroned 
by  the  Marquis  Forcella,  the  king's  chamberlain,  over  the 
palace.  The  royal  chapel  rises  from  the  first  floor,  over  the 
great  court.  The  dimensions  are  not  great,  but  there  is  not 
a  square  inch  of  the  interior  which  is  not  richly  inlaid  in  a 
mosaic  of  rare  marbles  and  gold.  The  ceilings  and  walls  are 
profusely  gilded,  and  represent,  in  mosaics  of  precious  stones, 
Scriptural  illustrations.  The  altar  is  a  wonder  of  itself.  The 
doors  were  modern,  but  as  delicate  and  elaborate  a  mass  of 
carving  in  oak  as  can  well  be  conceived. 


134:  SOAMPAVIAS. 

From  this  sanctuary  we  mounted  to  the  story  above, 
where  Swiss  guards  were  thickly  stationed  and  quartered 
on  the  landings  and  galleries  of  the  quadrangle.  We  were 
told  that  during  the  revolution,  when  the  populace  held 
possession  of  Palermo,  they  destroyed  the  casernes,  and 
until  others  were  completed,  the  troops  were  billeted  every- 
where. 

We  passed  through  a  large  hall,  hung  with  full-length 
portraits  of  former  viceroys  of  Sicily,  and  entered  the  royal 
apartments.  The  mob  had  amused  themselves  in  the  palace 
some  twenty-five  days,  and  they  did  not  hesitate  to  steal 
or  ruin  all  they  easily  could  from  this  part  of  it.  In  the 
main  reception  chamber,  on  a  marble  Jtable,  stood,  or  rather 
kneeled,  the  famous  bronze  ram,  which  was  found  in  Syra- 
cuse. The  beast  is  so  formed,  that,  when  placed  in  the  wind, 
he  makes  a  low,  hoarse  bellow,  like  a  living  animal  of  his 
propensities.  It  is,  in  point  of  art  and  nature,  the  best  and 
noblest  work  in  bronze  I  ever  beheld. 

We  wandered  on  through  suites  of  Chinese  and  old  Roman 
rooms,  and  so  on  into  the  grand  hall  of  the  palace.  Here 
the  mob  outshone  themselves,  and  had  mutilated  and  smashed 
everything  within  reach  of  hands  and  bullets,  save  the  mag- 
nificent fresco  of  Velasquez,  representing  the  deification  of 
Hercules,  which  is  painted  on  the  lofty  arched  ceiling.  This 
room,  as  well  as  many  others,  was  filled  with  huge  cases 
and  packages  of  hangings,  furniture,  clocks,  and  lamps, 
to  restore,  in  part,  the  damage  done  by  the  infuriated  popu- 
lace. 

Continuing    our   course    upward,   we    gained    the    noble 


THE    SHELL    OF    GOLD.  135 

terrace,  which  overlooks  the  city,  sea,  and  lovely  valley 
around.  The  tower  of  the  observatory  was  yet  above  us ; 
but,  having  been  for  the  time  satiated  with  sights,  we  took 
our  leave. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  drove  to  Monreal,  a  tolerably  large 
town,  built  nearly  at  the  upper  hinge  of  the  "  Shell  of  Gold," 
and  reached  by  an  excellent  road.  We  had  a  spirited  pair 
of  black  stallions,  and  they  went  up  the  hills  at  a  gallop.  On 
our  right  arose  jutting  calcareous  crags,  that  seemed  in  their 
strange  fantastic  shapes,  beetling  over  the  lofty  peaks,  as 
if  bent  upon  our  destruction,  while  on  the  left  we  gazed  down 
upon  a  scene  of  tranquil  and  enchanting  beauty.  The  broad 
valley  gradually  closing  from  its  sea-girt  shell,  recedes 
slopingly  up  towards  the  background,  narrowing  easily 
between  the  rugged  steeps  which  at  last  frame  it  in.  Up 
we  rolled,  until  we  stood  on  the  terrace  of  the  Benedictine 
monastery  of  Monreal,  and  there  the  view  was  surpassingly 
fine. 

We  looked  directly  into  the  heart  of  the  valley.  Green 
could  not  be  greener  than  the  dark  foliage  of  the  lime 
and  orange  groves  of  the  plain,  checkered  as  they  were 
by  the  black  patches  of  tilled  earth,  the  pale  hues  of  the 
clumps  of  olives  and  waving  canes;  the  tall  tubes  of  cypress, 
linked  by  "  marriageable  vines "  to  the  elms,  swinging  in 
teeming  festoons  around  the  quaint  old  cottages  and  hamlets ; 
while  still  beyond,  over  the  expanding  valley,  was  the  city, 
with  its  towers,  spires,  and  palaces,  washed  by  the  blue  sea, 
between  the  majestic  sphinxes  of  Pelligrino. 


136 


SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter    XII 


Monreal. 

WE  found  Monreal  a  dirty  spot — notwithstanding  its  rills 
of  water — and  teeming  with  soldiers,  priests,  and  beggars. 

The  soldiers  were  in  line  in  the  plaza,  flanked  by  a  small 
park  of  nine  bronze  howitzers — those  charming  little  pieces, 
which,  when  crammed  with  shrapnell  or  canister,  can  sweep 
away  a  crowded  street,  in  a  hurricane  of  leaden  hail  or  bits  of 
iron,  in  no  time.  No  need  for  heavy  cannon  on  parapet 
or  bastion,  when  the  war  is  domestic,  and  the  work  to 


MONKS.  137 

be  done  in  narrow  streets  upon  a  starving,  infuriated  popu- 
lace, such  as  will  come  about  one  of  these  days  in  the 
crushed  cities  of  Italy  and  Sicily.  Howitzers  will  then 
blaze  and  crash,  until  there  is  no  more  blood  to  dye  the 
gutters. 

But  I  am  wandering  from  the  dirty,  picturesque  town 
of  Monreal.  It  is  only  remarkable,  in  other  points  of  interest, 
for  a  grand  monastery  for  nobles,  and  a  splendid  church — 
together  the  richest  benefice  in  Sicily.  Since  the  late  revolu- 
tion, however,  the  devout  King  had  shaken  the  "  imprisoned 
angels"  out  of  the  "bags  of  hoarding  abbots,"  and  taken 
the  revenues  in  his  own  keeping,  allowing  a  moderate 
stipend  to  the  good  bishop,  and  a  trifle  for  repairs  to  his 
church. 

We  went  over  the  monastery,  up  a  noble  staircase  of 
veined  marble,  with  some  good  paintings  by  Velasquez, 
on  the  walls,  and  so  on  through  the  lofty  corridors.  The 
cloisters  were  roomy  apartments,  well  furnished  and  com- 
fortable. There  was  a  large  and  well-filled  library;  and 
in  addition  to  a  good  stocked  larder,  there  were  a  dark  wine- 
cellar,  a  cool  garden  of  luscious  fruits,  and  a  fine  locality. 

"  But  the  Abbots  were  thinking  of  scenery, 

About  as  much,  in  sooth, 
As  a  lover  thinks  of  constancy, 
Or  an  advocate  of  truth." 

We  had  no  reason,  however,  to  doubt  the  happiness  and 
even  enjoyment  of  those  blessed  anchorites,  who  doom  them- 
selves to  exile  from  the  world. 

Passing  from  this  abode  of  oiliness,  we  entered  the  great 


138  SCAMPAVIAS. 

church.  A  squeeze  we  had  to  get  in,  to  say  nothing  of  fleas ; 
for  the  lazaroni  were  extremely  pressing  and  attentive  in 
their  demeanor,  and  tried  to  crowd  into  the  gates  with  us. 
Kicks,  however,  were  freely  and  liberally  bestowed  by  the 
excellent  sacristan,  and  dissatisfied  howls  were  mournfully 
extorted  in  exchange.  At  last  we  stood  in  the  great  nave, 
and  had  just  light  sufficient  in  the  last  rays  of  the  sun, 
reflected  from  the  hills  on  the  slopes  of  the  valley,  to  gaze 
upon  the  glorious  marbles,  and  to  ponder  upon  the  ages  and 
ages  of  time  that  hands  of  men  must  have  been  occupied 
in  their  work. 

Watching  a  favorable  chance  to  elude  the  beggars,  we 
leaped  into  our  barouche,  and  whirled  rapidly  down  the  road. 
On  we  dashed  by  friars,  soldiers,  fish-venders,  nuns,  priests, 
squalling  children,  Sicilian  bullocks,  with  their  wide,  ele- 
gantly-shaped horns ;  on  we  flew,  by  carts  with  high,  fanci- 
fully carved  and  painted  saddle-peaks ;  on  we  sped,  with  ear 
and  eye  taking  in  the  low*  musical  trill  of  the  vesper  bells,  or 
glancing  over  the  lovely  vista  of  the  Shell  of  Gold,  until  our 
foaming  stallions  once  more  stood  still  in  Palermo. 

The  following  day,  we  visited  the  Forcella  palace,  by 
invitation  of  the  noble  marquis.  The  palace  faces  the  Marina, 
within  a  biscuit  toss  of  the  sea  ;  but  so  far  as  externals  go,  it 
appears  like  an  ancient,  unfinished,  and  dilapidated  structure. 
Appearances,  however,  are  sometimes  deceitful.  We  were 
received  at  the  entrance,  amidst  a  mass  of  building-rubbish, 
by  the  owner  himself,  who,  conducting  us  up  a  long  flight  of 
steps,  presented  to  us  a  scene  of  magnificence  rarely  beheld. 
There  was  a  suite  of  rooms  rather  small  in  themselves,  but  an 


THEFORCELLA.  139 

exact  restoration  of  Pompeii.  I  have  long  entertained  the 
belief,  that  the  ancients  had  very  crude  and  imperfect  notions 
of  cleanliness  or  comfort,  in  the  manner  of  washing  their  per- 
sons, or  absorbing  their  drink,  or  partaking  their  food,  in  the 
absence  of  water-pipes,  the  want  of  ventilation,  and  cane- 
bottomed  chairs  ;  but  on  regarding  these  elegant  apartments, 
resplendent  with  polished  marbles,  frescoed  walls,  luxurious 
seats,  and  graceful  lounges,  I  began  to  change  my  opinion. 

Passing  from  Pompeii,  we  came  to  the  wonder  of  the 
palace — the  halls  of  the  Alhambra.  The  ceilings  were  arch- 
ed, and  presented  the  most  exquisite  carvings,  gildings,  and 
inlaid  work  imaginable ;  while  the  walls  were  a  mass  of 
great  slabs  of  porphyry,  agate,  jasper,  petrifactions,  and,  in 
fact,  every  variety  of  the  richest  and  most  precious  marbles 
that  art  and  taste  could  combine  and  harmonize  together. 
The  floors,  too,  were  one  mass  of  elegant  mosaic,  in  rare 
combination  of  coloring  and  taste,  while  a  sparkling  fountain 
threw  out  its  cooling  spray  over  a  noble  vase  in  the  centre. 
All  this  splendor,  joined  to  a  little  rapid  rivulet  which  flowed 
through  the  palace,  and  fed  leaping  fountains  on  the  terrace, 
makes  the  Forcella  a  miracle  of  beauty  and  perfection.  In 
all  the  interior  decoration,  the  marquis  had  been  his  own 
designer  and  architect,  most  of  the  mosaic  work  being  done 
under  his  own  eye,  by  children  he  had  picked  up  in  the 
street.  The  noble  marquis  also  told  us  that,  within  the  past 
fifteen  years,  he  had  expended  upon  the  palace  five  hundred 
thousand  ounces  of  Sicily — more  than  a  million  of  Spanish 
dollars — and  all  to  be  bequeathed  to  his  good  friend  the 
King,  whose  dear  Chamberlain  he  was. 


140  SCAMPAVIAS. 

From  the  Forcella  we  drove  to  the  royal  Chinese  villa  of 
La  Favorita — once  a  favorite  residence  of  the  king ;  but  for 
the  past  four  years  that  potentate  has  not  even  visited  Sicily, 
much  less  his  charming  estates  near  Palermo. 

The  grounds,  which  comprise  about  six  hundred  English 
acres,  are  situated  just  behind  the  precipitous  heights  of 
Mount  Pellegrino,  towards  the  west  and  south.  They  are 
well  planted  with  olives,  limes,  oranges,  and  sumac,  all  of 
which  valuable  productions  are  sold  to  fill  the  already 
plethoric  private  purse  of  the  king.  There  are  fine,  broad 
alleys,  and  drives  through  the  plantations,  with,  here  and 
there,  old  towers,  where,  in  the  olden  time,  look-outs  were 
posted  to  mark  down  the  royal  game  which  here  abounded. 
There  are  spouting  fountains,  too,  and  one  is  known  by  a 
statue  of  Hercules,  surrounded  by  four  majestic  obelisks  of 
living  green. 

The  villa  is  a  la  Chinoise,  the  same  style  of  architecture  as 
that  seen  on  old  fashioned  china  plates,  and  perhaps  contains 
more  elements  of  pleasure,  comfort,  and  coolness,  than  a 
Chinaman  ever  dreamed  of.  There  is  a  large  pleasant  hall 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  for  family  reunions  during 
the  heats  of  summer ;  spacious  rooms  above,  with  a  dining- 
saloon  and  dumb-betty  contrivance,  where  a  select  circle  could 
be  fed,  and  chat  state  secrets,  without  the  hands  or  ears  of 
servants  to  assist;  then  higher  up,  are  delightful  sleeping 
chambers,  prettily  tiled  terraces,  commanding  lovely  views 
around,  and  all  capped  by  a  Chinese  bell-tower. 

We  returned  to  Palermo,  spread  ourselves  out  on  the  ter- 
race of  the  Albergo  Trinacria,  took  coffee,  listened  to  the 


LA    FAVOEITA.  141 

delicious  music  from  the  Marina,  watched  the  red  gleaming 
torches  of  the  fishermen  out  upon  the  bay,  and,  while  the 
full  moon  dashed  her  soft  light  upon  the  surface  of  the  water, 
we  soon  ceased  to  envy  the  king  or  kaiser. 

The  following  day,  we  dined  in  state  with  the  Viceroy. 
His  cook  was  an  unexceptionable  artiste,  who  had  evidently 
taken  his  degrees  in  the  three  courts.  The  sun  never  shone 
on  more  delicate  tipple  than  that  which  moistened  our  lips. 
The  dinner  was  served  rapidly  with  ices  between  the  courses. 
Buckling  on  our  harness,  we  made  our  salaams  to  the  prince, 
and  when  left  to  ourselves,  as  we  descended  the  palace  stairs, 
my  companions  decided  that  it  had  been  a  particularly 
brown  little  repast ;  in  which  I  concurred,  in  all  save  a  slight 
qualm  I  felt  for  having  experimented  upon  a  dish  of  queer 
shaped  snails,  which  I  ate  out  of  pure  curiosity,  and  which 
nearly  were  the  death  of  me.  However,  I  bore  up  with 
resignation,  went  on  board  the  frigate,  took  the  usual  pre- 
scription, and  passed  the  night  peacefully. 


142  SCAMPAVIA 


Chapter    XIII. 

Chase    of   a    Condessa. 

THE  next  morning,  just  as  the  bell  had  been  struck  eight, 
I  was  seated  at  the  gun-room  breakfast-table.  My  man, 
Angelo,  was  raising  a  barricade  of  oranges,  eggs,  chops, 
cherries,  and  a  bottle  of  claret,  before  me.  I  was  in  a 
reflective  mood,  and,  leaning  on  both  elbows,  watched  my 
mess-mates  as  they  severally  emerged  from  their  dens,  and 
proceeded  to  lay  in  ballast  for  the  day.  I  was  somewhat 
depressed  in  spirit,  and  my  thoughts  would  turn  back  to 
the  Viceroy's  snails,  when,  at  the  moment  I  had  called  up 
resolution  to  peck  away  at  an  egg,  the  gun-room  windsail 
came  tumbling  through  the  hatchway,  and  nearly  capsized 
me. 

"  I  say,  Gringo,  why  will  you  always  sit  under  that 
hatch?"  quoth  Doctor  Bristles,  as  he  seemed  to  enjoy  my 
discomfiture  with  as  keen  a  relish  as  the  orange  he  was 
sucking. 

"  Look  here,  you  lubber,  what  are  you  about  ?"  I  shouted, 
at  any  imaginary  mizen-toprnan  or  quarter-deck  loafer  who 
might  have  committed  the  offense,  in  hopes  that  the  guilty 
one  would  show  himself  and  confess  judgment  at  once.  But 


CHASE    OF   A    CONDESSA.  143 

the  only  response  I  got  was  from  the  orderly  on  the  gun- 
deck,  who,  exhibiting  his  white  cross-belts  and  bright  buttons 
over  the  coamings  of  the  hatch,  observed,  "  Av  ye  plase,  sir, 
the  awnings  is  jist  spread,  and  the  First  Liftinint  gave 
orders  to  Jet  down  the  windsail."  "  O !  the  windsail  be 
bio  wed." 

At  this  moment,  the  gun-room  door  opened,  and  in  stepped 
my  friend,  Jack  Toker.  I  must  remark  that  Gracieux  was 
his  right  name,  and  the  one  he  bore  on  the  purser's  books  in 
the  first  ship  we  sailed  in ;  but  he  changed  it  in  expectation 
of  a  fortune — which,  by  the  way,  he  didn't  get — to  Toker. 

Jack  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and,  reaching 
over  with  a  long  arm,  gave  me  a  friendly  slap  on  the  back. 

"  Hillo,  my  boy,  you  seem  riled  ;  hope  the  noise  of  the 
holy  stones  didn't  disturb  your  repose  in  the  morning 
watch  !" 

u  Bah  !  the  holy  stones  be  pitched  overboard." 

"Hush,  not  a  word  against  my  small  property,  if  you 
please,  or  by  Saint  Peter  I'll  try  you  by  court-martial  on  the 
spot." 

This  threat  kept  me  quiet,  and  I  went  into  the  egg  and 
chop  business  for  some  minutes  without  a  word  in  reply. 
Presently,  however,  I  leaned  over  towards  my  companion, 
and  whispered : 

11  What  do  you  say  to  a  quiet  little  run  on  shore,  to-day  ?" 

Jack  elevated  his  eyebrows,  and  gave  three  distinct  and 
emphatic  nods — bolting  a  mouthful  of  cherries  at  each  inflec- 
tion— thereby  intimating  that  he  was  on  hand. 

"  Let's  be  rural,"  quoth  Jack,  after  he  had  cracked  several 


144  SOAMPAVIAS. 

cherry-stones,  and  extracted  the  kernels,  "and  let's  go  in 
mufti,  like  Haroun,  the  Retchid,  and  wear  loose  white  rigging 
and  sombreros." 

Angelo  smiled,  and  we  felt  assured  that  those  articles  of 
raiment  would  be  in  waiting  for  us  when  we  left  the  ship. 

An  hour  later,  the  bell  tolled  for  divine  service,  and  our 
dear  old  Chaplain  preached  to  us.  Little  did  we  think  then, 
that  that  good,  kind,  and  gentle  mess-mate  would  be  the  first 
to  leave  us ;  but  no  man  knoweth  his  billet  for  even  a  day, 
and  he  fell  a  martyr  to  his  duty,  ministering  to  the  sick  and 
desolate,  during  the  terrible  scourge  which  swept  over  Nor- 
folk last  summer.  Peace  be  with  thee,  brave  Eskridge,  we 
drop  a  tear  to  thy  memory  ! 

After  service,  Toker  and  I  quietly  stowed  ourselves  in  a 
shore-boat,  while  Angelo  ensconced  himself  in  the  bow,  with 
a  bundle  under  each  arm.  As  we  were  indifferent  with 
respect  to  any  settled  plan  of  campaign,  and  were  rather 
surfeited  with  palaces  and  churches,  we  engaged  a  com- 
fortable barouche  at  the  Albergo  Trinacria,  changed  all 
our  toggery  that  was  adorned  with  lace  or  navy  buttons; 
took  a  moderate  sip  of  iced  pale  ale,  and  a  bite  of  cheese, 
and  then  bade  our  coachee  to  take  us  wherever  he  pleased. 
One  or  two  of  our  fellows  craned  out  at  us  from  the  balconies, 
and  volunteered  to  hold  our  hats,  and  in  fact,  several  jocose 
persons  insisted  upon  accompanying  us.  We  assured  them 
our  mission  was  a  profound  secret — that  we  were  in  the  pay 
of  the  police — and  then,  planting  our  heels  on  the  front 
cushions,  we  lit  cheroots,  and  gave  a  signal  to  our  Jehu  to 
start. 


CHASE    OF    A    CONDESSA.  145 

With  many  a  ringing  crack  of  the  whip  we  rattled  out  of 
the  city,  but  where  we  went  to  I  had  no  distinct  idea  ;  all  we 
absolutely  knew  was,  that  we  were  sometimes  rolling  along 
between  walled  gardens  of  fruits  and  flowers,  trellised  vines 
and  waving  fields  of  grain,  groves  of  olives,  dotted  at  inter- 
vals by  quaint  little  clusters  of  houses  with  a  moss-covered 
chapel  in  the  midst ;  again  we  came  upon  the  brink  of  the 
Mediterranean,  with  the  cool  sea-breeze  rustling  over  the 
waves  which  lapped  the  shore  beneath  our  wheels,  while  the 
red-capped  disciples  of  the  nets  were  urging  their  boats 
silently  over  the  water,  or  hauling  in  their  seines. 

At  last  we  drew  up  before  the  gates  of  the  noble  villa  of 
Belmonto,  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  Palermo.  This  char- 
ming residence  was  leased  by  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  a  few  months  subsequent  to  our 
visit.  The  Earl  was  the  well  known  Catholic  zealot,  who  for 
many  years  devoted  his  time  and  fortune  to  the  advancement 
of  his  religion.  The  search  after  modern  miracles  was  also 
one  of  his  steadfast  pursuits.  The  labors  he  gave  to  investi- 
gate the  miracles  of  the  winking  Virgin  at  Rimini,  and  the 
Holy  Coat  at  Treves,  to  say  nothing  of  those  wonders  of  the 
Adolorati  and  Staccati  women,  must  of  themseves  have  been 
very  severe. 

We  were  politely  shown  over  the  villa  by  the  servants,  in 
the  absence  of  the  noble  occupants.  Like  all  Sicilian  palaces, 
this  is  on  a  grand  and  spacious  scale.  The  ceilings  were 
handsomely  frescoed,  and  the  walls  were  hung  with  portaits 
of  the  earl  and  countess,  and  also  their  grandchildren,  the 
sons  of  Prince  Valmon.  But  what  pleased  me  most  was  a  gem 

7 


146  SOAMPAVIAS. 

of  a  painting,  a  present  from  the  King,  of  Santa  Rosalia.  The 
sweet  little  saint  is  wrapped  in  a  mantle  of  brown  serge ; 
the  lovely  hands  are  crossed  upon  the  bosom  and  clasp  the 
beads  and  cross ;  the  rich  auburn  hair  ripples  in  golden 
tresses  upon  the  neck,  and  the  head  is  crowned  by  a  wreath 
of  roses.  The  expression  of  the  face  is  of  soft  devotion,  and 
the  whole  effect  of  the  figure  is  modest  and  charming. 

Leaving  the  palace,  we  strolled  through  the  grounds,  rested 
awhile  in  the  little  temple  of  Novura  Sidus,  and  then  pausiug 
to  glance  at  the  autograph  of  "  Nicolas,  primo,"  of  all  the  Rus- 
sias,  which  that  Czar  had  scratched  with  his  sabre  on  a 
marble  corner  of  the  villa,  during  a  visit  Le  made  in  1845, 
we  once  more  took  to  coach,  and  gave  ourselves  up  to  the 
driver,  who,  three  hours  post  meridian,  again  carried  us  to 
the  Albergo. 

Oh  1  my  pleasure-seeking  travellers,  when  wearied  with  the 
dust,  din,  heat,  beggars,  and  extortion  of  southern  Italy, 
jump  on  board  the  steamer  and  paddle  over  to  the  glorious 
bay  of  Palmero.  Go  to  the  Trinacria,  where  you  will,  per- 
chance, find  a  portly  Boniface,  who  was  for  a  score  of  years  a 
courier  of  distinction  and  good  repute,  and  who  will,  out  of 
pure  love  for  your  society  and  dollars,  treat  you  well  and 
kindly. 

Toker  and  I  chose  a  pleasant  apartment  on  the  sea  side  of 
the  Albergo,  and  casting  pillows  and  mats  upon  the  tiled 
floor,  we  threw  ourselves  down  and  took  a  siesta. 

We  slumbered  tranquilly,  as  sailors  do  on  shore,  and 
might  have  emulated  M.  Van  Winkle,  had  I  not  been  startled 
by  the  sullen  boom  of  heavy  guns  out  upon  the  bay.  I  had 


CHASE    OF    A    CONDESSA.  147 

not  the  energy,  however,  to  rouse  myself  up,  so  I  gave  my 
companion  a  vigorous  kick  near  the  region  of  the  knee  joints. 
Jack  was  lying  quite  loose  about  the  floor,  with  his  legs 
folded  up  like  a  two-foot  rule.  He  was,  by  long  odds,  the 
handsomest  fellow  you  ever  saw,  and  withal  the  most  graceful 
figure,  though  he  admitted  himself,  in.  his  serious  moments, 
that  having  been  fed  considerably  upon  ham  down  in  "  old 
Virginny,"  in  his  boyhood,  he  had  run  away  a  good  deal  into 
legs  and  arms. 

"  Jack,"  said  I,  as  he  straightened  himself  out  a  bit,  and 
rolled  over  on  his  back,  "  don't  you  think  somebody  is  firing 
guns  somewhere  ?" 

"  The  very  best  imitation  of  them  I  ever  heard,"  quoth  my 
friend,  as  he  once  more  twisted  round  on  his  side,  and  pushed 
the  hair  out  of  his  glims.  "  Let's  take  a  look." 

Accordingly,  we  kicked  open  the  blinds,  and  there,  half 
hidden  in  a  dense  mass  of  smoke,  lay  the  French  fleet,  roaring 
and  blazing  away  a  royal  salute,  in  honor  of  the  Viceroy. 

We  were  wide  awake  by  this  time,  and  ordered  dinner 
served  upon  the  terrace.  It  was  a  charming  little  spread, 
light,  pleasant  and  convivial.  The  Julien  was  perfect,  and 
the  Mb'et  frapped  to  the  atmosphere  of  a  snow  bank.  All 
this,  however,  was  as  nothing  to  the  lovely  terrace, 
embowered  as  we  were  in  a  little  thicket  of  lime  and 
orange  trees,  inhaling  the  sweet  fragrance  of  the  early  dew 
upon  the  fruit,  and  gazing,  over  our  green  almonds  and 
walnuts,  upon  the  rippling  sea  beyond,  while  the  brass  music 
from  the  ships  of  war  in  the  distance,  came  melodiously  over 
the  water. 


148  SCAMPAVIAS. 

"  Do  you  know,  shipmate,"  said  Jack  Toker  to  me, 
with  a  satisfied  sigh,  as  he  allowed  his  fingers  to  dabble 
in  the  finger  bowl,  "  that  we  engaged  a  carriage  for  the 
day  ?" 

I  expressed  myself  thoroughly  alive  to  that  contract,  and 
added  something  contemptuously  with  regard  to  the  expense. 

"  Bene,  where  shall  we  go  ?" 

I  suggested  a  quiet  drive  to  the  Floria  gardens,  an  ice  and 
a  pipe  in  the  Strada  Toledo. 

Jack  thought  we  might  accomplish  all  that,  and  perhaps 
get  up  an  intrigue  with  a  princess,  a  countess,  or  other 
distinguished  dame,  which  might  give  an  air  of  romance  to 
our  day's  recreation. 

The  fact  was,  that  several  of  our  dandy  mess-mates,  in 
their  jaunty  caps,  accurate  coats,  and  spotless  white  trowsers, 
were  continually  making  conquests  of  this  description  all  over 
Italy — never  going  to  the  opera  without  levelling  their 
glasses  at  some  remarkably  beautiful  woman  in  the  boxes; 
or  letting  fly  a  volley  of  bravas  at  the  prima  donna,  or 
the  pets  of  the  ballet.  Now,  Jack  Toker  and  I,  who  rarely 
indulged  in  these  diversions,  became,  at  times,  exceedingly 
exasperated,  and  entertained,  withal,  the  belief  that  most 
of  these  conquests  were  mere  myths ;  for  neither  of  us 
had  encountered  so  much  as  a  wink,  or  a  wave  of  a  fan, 
since  we  had  been  in  the  Mediterranean.  Accordingly,  Jack 
being  my  superior  officer,  I  acquiesced  in  his  proposition. 

In  the  court-yard,  we  found  our  carriage — the  driver 
coiled  up  on  his  perch,  fast  asleep,  with  the  whip  held  firmly 
by  his  teeth.  We  recalled  him  to  a  sense  of  his  duties  by  a 


CHASE    OF    A    CONDESSA.  149 

summary  method,  when  exclaiming  "  andiam,  siyniori?  he 
cracked  his  thong,  and  put  his  cattle  in  motion. 

The  moon  was  round  as  a  wheel,  and  bright  as  a  mirror. 
The  broad  marble-paved  stradas  were  crowded  with  vehicles, 
rolling  slowly  toward  the  Marina;  the  cafes  were  brilliant 
with  light,  and  the  ices  and  lemonades  were  melting  away 
like  mist,  between  the  lips  of  the  pretty  women  who  reclined 
and  sipped  them  in  their  carriages.  A  close  column  of 
troops,  or  a  squadron  of  cavalry,  with  glancing  arms  or  clat- 
tering sabres,  would  occasionally  block  the  way ;  but  we, 
unmindful  of  all,  pushed  on  resolutely  in  search  of  our 
princess. 

We  traversed  the  Toledo,  drove  to  the  new  gardens  back 
by  the  Marina,  and  so,  round  and  round  the  city,  until  we 
made  ourselves  somewhat  remarkable  for  our  ubiquity,  and 
after  all  our  fatigue  there  never  a  countess  or  even  contadina 
smiled  upon  us.  Hereupon  we  held  a  council  of  war,  and 
resolved  to  call  the  first  man  out  who  dared  to  plume  him- 
self upon  having  won  the  affections  of  any  lady  of  whatever 
rank  or  fortune,  for  the  future. 

Unluckily  we  did  not  come  to  this  determination  a  few 
minutes  sooner;  for  just  at  this  epoch,  we  suddenly  found 
ourselves  shut  up  in  a  dense  procession,  in  honor  of  Saint 
Ursula.  The  old  lady  was  escorted  by  a  battalion  of  Swiss 
guards  and  a  crashing  band  of  music.  She  was  lying  flat  on 
her  back,  on  a  satin  couch,  and  borne  on  a  gilded  trestle. 
She  had  a  crown  of  jewels  on  her  waxy  and  venerable  head 
— bogus  trinkets,  we  presumed — and  in  other  respects  of 
raiment  and  finery,  she  was  got  up  entirely  regardless  of 


150  SCAMPAVIAS. 

expense.  At  every  few  paces,  the  car  and  the  Saint  were  let 
down  to  be  admired  by  the  populace,  while  showers  of  sky- 
rockets went  streaming  up  into  the  air,  and  chants  arose  from 
pious  throats,  and  church  chimes  were  banging  deafening 
peals,  balconies  illuminated,  damask  canopies  were  suspended 
across  the  streets,  and  still,  all  the  while,  poor  Saint  Ursula 
was  turned,  and  twisted,  and  frisked  about  in  all  directions, 
until  they  finally  bore  her  away,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped — 

"  Put  her  to  bed, 

With  a  pain  in  her  heels  and  a  pain  in  her  head, 
To  dream  in  her  delirious  fever 
Of  a  high  trotting  horse  and  a  black  deceiver." 

We  were  forced,  however,  to  follow  or  be  driven  in  her 
path  until  we  reached  the  Floria  gardens,  when  we  made 
our  way  to  the  music  of  the  Marina. 

It  was  past  midnight  when  we  found  ourselves  reclining  in 
the  stern  sheets  of  a  bowl  of  a  boat,  and  moving  slowly  over 
the  gentle  swell  of  the  bay.  Our  oarsmen  chanted  a  low 
Sicilian  refrain  as  their  oar-blades  dipped  in  the  tranquil 
water,  and  the  music  still  wandered  sweetly  in  our  wake  from 
the  Marina. 

My  companion  was  lying  on  his  back,  with  his  heels  well 
drawn  up,  and  his  sombrero  hanging  on  his  knees.  His 
head  rested  on  his  hands,  and  a  cigar  burned  dimly  between 
his  teeth.  He  was  the  first  to  break  silence. 

"  Harry,  my  lad,''  said  he,  in  a  cheerful  way,  "  this  would 
be  pure,  real  enjoyment  if  we  only  had  those  dear  ones  at 
home  to  enjoy  all  these  pleasant  scenes  with  us.  This  has 


CHASE    OF    A    CONDESSA.  151 

been  the  only  drawback  to  the  downright  fancy  I  have  for 
the  navy.  These  long  separations  from  those  we  love,"  he 
went  on,  "often  sadden  me  in  my  gayest  moments,  and  I 
sometimes  mentally  swear  that  if  it  please  heaven  to  waft  me 
once  more  to  my  little  anchorage  at  home,  no  man  with 
the  badge  of  Neptune,  shall  ever  tear  me  away.  Then 
again,"  continued  Jack,  "  the  service  has  its  charms,  it  is  a 
gallant  and  honorable  profession;  promotion,  though  Tontine 
in  its  system,  may  come  one  of  these  days.  If  there  ever 
come  a  war  we  have  a  chance  for  a  gold  chain  or  a  wooden 
leg — for  you  know,  my  boy,  the  spray  and  the  prize  money 
go  aft." 

"  And  more  than  all,"  I  interrupted,  seizing  Toker  by  the 
fist,  "  we  yearn  kindly  towards  our  dear  and  true  companions 
from  boyhood  to  manhood;  fellows  with  warm,  generous 
hearts,  and  unselfish  souls,  with  whom  we  have  buffeted  the 
ocean  in  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and  whom  we  feel  and  know 
to  be  as  staunch  and  steadfast  as  the  needle  to  the  pole." 

I  should  have,  perhaps,  gone  on  in  this  strain  for  an  hour, 
had  not  the  sharp  hail  of  "  Qui  vive !"  from  a  sentinel  on 
board  the  French  admiral's  ship,  the  "  Ville  de  Paris,"  as  we 
crossed  the  shade  of  his  counter,  warned  us  that  we  were 
approaching  our  own  frigate. 

An  hour  later,  we  quietly  weighed  anchor,  and,  with  the 
early  breath  of  the  land-wind,  the  ship  moved  majestically 
through  the  French  fleet,  and  stood  out  to  sea. 


152 


SCAMPAVTAS. 


Chapter    XIV. 


KING    BOMBA    IN    PERSPECTIVE. 

Piedigrotta. 

WE  had  a  rapid  run  over  to  Naples,  and  in  twenty-four 
hours  we  were  again  riding  at  our  anchors  within  rifle  shot 
of  Santa  Lucia. 


PIEDIGROTTA.  153 

The  eighth  of  September  was  the  anniversary  of  the  grand 
Festa  of  Piedigrotta.  The  origin  of  this  festival  is  not  very 
remote.  On  the  night  of  the  tenth  of  August,  1741,  king 
Charles  of  Bourbon  beat  the  Austrians  at  Belletri,  under  the 
following  circumstances :  Count  Lobkowitz,  who  commanded 
them,  had  previously  surprised  the  king's  troops,  and  nearly 
made  the  king  himself  prisoner.  But  the  latter  collecting  in 
haste  a  few  troops,  not  far  distant,  fell  unawares  upon  the 
victorious  enemy,  and  completely  routed  them.  This  victory 
secured  the  crown  of  the  two  Sicilies  to  Charles,  who  founded 
the  present  dynasty,  and  instituted  the  Festa  di  Piedigrotta  to 
celebrate  the  event. 

For  some  days  previous,  government  steamers  had  been 
arriving  with  troops  from  all  points  of  the  coast,  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  celebration,  the  city  was  absolutely 
swarming  like  a  bee-hive  with  soldiers. 

I  attended  the  Commodore  on  shore,  and  pushing  our  way 
through  the  dense  crowds  which  thronged  the  streets,  to  the 
Villa  Reale,  we  gained  our  position  on  a  broad  balcony, 
about  mid-way  of  the  Chiaja.  The  batteries  and  large 
masses  of  artillery  and  cavalry  were  planted  at  both  outlets 
of  the  garden,  while  a  triple  rank  of  infantry  lined  both 
sides  of  the  wide  strada  through  which  the  procession  was  to 
pass. 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  look  down  upon  the  bright 
and  glittering  hosts  beneath  us.  Heavy  dragoons,  hussars, 
and  cuirassiers,  with  jet  black  horses,  and  shining  helme's; 
lancers  with  fluttering  plumes,  steel  and  pennons;  brilliant 
uniforms,  and  splendid  trappings  of  numerous  generals  and 

7* 


154  SOAMPAVIAS. 

taff-officers ;  battalions  of  Swiss  guards  in  gorgeous  scarlet- 
facings;  then,  regiment  after  regiment,  in  heavy  marching 
order,  and  squadron  after  squadron,  passed  down  the  line  to 
take  position  beyond,  until  the  eye  fairly  became  bewildered 
with  the  red,  and  white,  and  lace,  and  glitter  of  the  large 
holiday  army  moving  before  us,  and  the  air  filled  with  the 
sounds  of  champing  bits,  clinking  weapons,  and  musical 
carillons  of  bells.  There  were  fifty-eight  battalions  of  infan- 
try ;  forty  squadrons  of  horse,  and  nine  full  batteries ;  in  all, 
not  less  than  sixty-five  thousand  troops  under  review,  though, 
at  the  same  time,  there  did  not  seem  to  have  been  any 
diminution  of  regular  sentinels  and  reliefs  at  the  numerous 
barracks,  and  other  military  posts  throughout  the  city. 

As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  even  beyond,  from  the 
gates  of  the  royal  palace,  by  San  Carlos,  to  the  church  of 
Piedigrotta — a  distance  of  about  two  and  a  half  miles — there 
was  little  else  but  troops.  I  was  very  much  impressed  with 
their  fine  soldierly  appearance.  The  infantry  were  full  sized, 
and  went  through  their  evolutions  in  a  creditable  manner. 
The  artillery  did  not  move  from  their  position,  but  their 
guns,  horses,  and  equipments,  were  modern  and  serviceable. 
Whether  this  fine  array  will  ever  cross  bayonets,  with  guns 
unlimbered  in  battle,  with  the  proper  degree  of  pluck, 
remains  for  future  historians  to  narrate. 

At  four  o'clock,  the  cannon  of  castle  d'Ovo  announced  the 
departure  of  the  royal  cortege  from  the  palace,  and  then 
came  the  heavy  booming  roar  from  the  foreign  ships-of-war 
in  port,  while  as  the  procession  approached  the  Chiaja,  the 
Neapolitan  squadron  moored  abreast  the  villa,  with  yards 


FlEDIGBOTTA.  155 

manned,  and  the  ships  decked  in  gay  bunting,  pealed  forth 
their  salutes,  also. 

Soon,  there  wheeled  into  the  broad  strada  a  squadron 
of  hussars  preceding  a  royal  coach  of  brass,  bearing  the 
crown,  drawn  by  eight  horses,  with  uncovered  grooms  at  the 
bridles ;  then  came  another  body  of  horse  and  four  pursui- 
vants, richly  dressed  in  gold  lace  and  blue  satin,  who  walked 
before  a  splendid  glass  and  gilded  carriage,  surmounted  by 
white  plumes,  and  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  staff  of  generals, 
which  held  the  king  and  queen. 

This  was  followed  by  two  more  state  coaches  and  eight 
horses — all  magnificently  caparisoned — containing  the  heir 
apparent — a  fine  looking  youth — and  his  sister.  Again  the 
cortege  swept  slowly  on,  followed  by  thirteen  more  coaches- 
and-six,  like  the  others,  attended  by  bare-headed  grooms, 
and  the  whole  closed  by  solid  squadrons  of  lancers  and 
dragoons. 

As  the  royal  carriage  passed  down  the  line,  the  bands 
of  the  different  regiments  burst  forth  in  martial  strains, 
the  troops  presented  arms,  and  the  colors  were  dipped  to  the 
ground.  The  king — a  fat,  coarse  looking  person — raised  his 
eye-glass  on  passing  each  regiment ;  but  it  seemed  more  from 
curiosity  than  pleasure  in  beholding  his  fine  army. 

But  from  all  the  dense  multitude  which  thronged  the  gar- 
den in  rear  of  the  infantry,  there  never  a  cheer  nor  viva  went 
up  ;  no,  not  a  cry  or  shout  broke  forth  from  the  listless  and 
silent  masses,  to  greet  their  sovereign.  Ah  !  magnificent  and 
pious  Ferdinand,  you  may,  perhaps,  slay  and  stab  with  those 
hosts  of  bayonets  and  sabres,  but  they  cannot  be  made  to 


156  SCAMPAVIAS. 

shout  paeans  of  thanksgiving  to  your  glory.  Perhaps,  too, 
among  those  groups  of  haggard,  wretched  spectators,  there 
arose  many  a  stifled  curse  upon  the  cruel  King,  while  their 
hearts  yearned  towards  the  eight  thousand  prisoners  of  state 
who  were  mouldering  in  their  chains,  deep  down  in  the 
gloomy  dungeons  of  those  rock-bound  castles  which  start  up 
out  there  upon  the  lovely  bosom  of  the  bay.  Have  a  care, 
most  princely  Bourbon,  "  la  gallina  covava"  and  when  an  out- 
raged people,  rising  in  their  might,  thunders  at  your  palace 
gates,  neither  sword,  rosary,  nor  saint  can  save  you. 

The  procession  was  nearly  an  hour  on  its  journey  to  the 
little  church  of  Piedigrotta,  where  the  annual  vow  was  made, 
when  they  returned  in  the  same  order  to  the  palace.  Then 
the  troops,  from  the  other  extremity  of  the  line,  broke  up  into 
marching  order,  sometimes  three  regiments  abreast — the 
Swiss  guards  swinging  by  in  advance,  and  nothing  was  seen 
save  the  close  serried  forests  of  steel,  until  the  whole  ended 
by  the  artillery  and  cavalry. 

That  night  our  republican  frigate  made  sail,  and  before  the 
lurid  glare  from  the  summit  of  Vesuvius  was  put  to  shame  by 
the  rising  sun,  we  were  running  with  the  snorting  sea-breeze 
along  the  island  of  Ischia,  with  our  head  for  northern 
Italy.  In  a  few  days  we  once  more  furled  sails  in  the  glori- 
ous gulf  of  La  Spezia. 


A    LAND    SLID]':. 


15T 


Chapter   XV 


A    Land     Slide. 

THE  awnings  of  the  Frigate  were  closely  tented  fore  and 
aft  the  spar-deck;  the  rain  came  hammering  down  in  a 
steady  deluging  manner  ;  a  few  topmen  and  some  bare-legged 
marines  were  pattering  around  the  eaves  of  the  canvas  roof, 


158  SCAMPAVIAS. 

catching  buckets  of  fresh  water  for  a  quiet  scrub  somewhere 
in  the  waist.  The  sentries  at  the  gangways  were  moulting 
like  wet  chickens  over  their  muskets ;  the  old  salt  of  a  quar- 
ter-master on  the  look-out  on  the  poop,  wrapped  in  his  oil-skin 
jacket,  with  a  spy-glass  clasped  in  his  arms,  was  masticating 
his  tobacco-cud,  beneath  the  drippings  from  his  tarpaulin, 
with  all  the  enjoyment  in  life.  The  officer  of  the  watch  was 
slowly  pacing  the  quarter-deck  upon  a.  temporary  plank-road, 
made  of  gratings,  to  keep  his  feet  out  of  the  puddles  of  water 
which  flowed  beneath. 

The  ship  was  riding  uneasily  at  her  anchors,  with  heavy 
gusts  tearing  down  the  western  gorges  of  the  mountains,  and 
a  cross  swell  was  rolling  into  the  gulf.  Through  the  open 
spar-deck  ports  could  be  seen  the  lateen  fishing-boats,  two 
abreast,  scudding  in  from  seaward,  with  their  sails  reefed 
down,  seeking  a  haven  in  the  quiet  basins  of  Fezzana  or 
Marola  ;  while  in-shore  of  us,  towards  the  town,  a  small  fleet 
of  feluccas  and  coasting-craft  were  making  all  snug  for  a 
gale. 

It  was  two  hours  past  high  noon  when  I  mounted  the  after- 
ladder,  and  touched  my  visor  to  the  officer  on  guard.  That 
individual,  Lieutenant  Frank  Bimshaw,  returned  my  salute 
with  a  jerk  of  his  right  fore-finger  upward,  and  pausing  in 
his  walk,  made  the  following  observation  : 

"  I  say,  Gringo,  if  you  know  of  anybody  who  has  been  lay- 
ing by  money  for  a  rainy  day,  here's  the  place  for  him  to 
come  and  spend  it." 

Mr.  Bimshaw  said  this  with  some  exasperation ;  for  every 
few  moments  a  squall  of  wind  would  give  the  awning  a 


A    LAND    SLIDE.  159 

vicious  shiver,  and  dash  the  chill  October  rain  in  his 
face. 

"Hallo,"  he  added,  "what  are  you  going  to  do  with  that 
valise  I  see  there  at  the  fife-rail  ?" 

"  Going  ashore  with  it." 

"What  in?" 

"  Gig ;  orders,"  I  replied,  sententiously. 

"  Oh !  you  are,  eh  ?  life  insured,  and  will  made,  I  hope !" 

Bimshaw  said  this  with  real  sympathy,  but  recollecting 
perhaps,  that  duty  was  paramount  to  all  personal  considera- 
tions, he  smothered  his  feelings,  and  ordered  a  boatswain's 
mate  to  u  man  the  gig." 

The  boat  was  soon  at  the  gangway,  and,  watching  a  favora- 
ble lull,  I  jumped  in,  and  with  a  bit  of  sail,  no  bigger  than  a 
napkin,  we  shot  away  like  a  gull  towards  the  head  of  the  gulf. 
The  slim  little  boat  tugged  and  strained  at  the  main-sheet, 
but  still  she  danced  gaily  over  the  rising  sea,  and  never 
shipped  a  drop  of  brine  during  our  brief  voyage. 

I  was  bound  inland,  and  was  anxious  to  intercept  the  dili- 
gence from  Leghorn.  No  sooner  had  I  leaped  on  shore,  than 
that  vehicle  hove  in  sight,  and  announced  its  coming  by  a 
cannonade  of  whip-crackings  from  the  thongs  of  the  postil- 
lions; and  shortly  after,  lumbering  through  the  drenched 
little  streets,  it  drew  up  before  the  post  office.  To  ray  dis- 
may, there  was  not  a  vacant  place  in  the  diligence — a  wonder 
that  had  not  been  known  for  more  than  a  century.  My  hand- 
some friend,  Galleazi,  however,  came  to  my  aid,  and  there 
being  another  in  the  same  pickle  with  myself,  he  sent  for  an 
extra  voiture. 


160  SCAMPAVIAS. 

A  bargain  was  soon  struck,  with  the  understanding  that  two 
other  well-disposed  youths  should  occupy  the  vacant  seats. 

It  was  getting  dark  as  the  horses  were  roped  in  ;  my  valise 
was  strapped  on,  and  in  we  got.  The  voiture,  from  an  im- 
perfect view  afforded  by  a  lantern  through  the  heavy  rain, 
had  a  venerable  appearance,  and  bore  a  striking  resemblance 
to  an  old,  frowzy,  bonneted  woman  ;  but  withal,  rather  com- 
fortable we  found  it  inside. 

I  lit  a  cigar  and  took  my  place.  Of  the  two  extra  pas- 
sengers, one  was  a  good,  stout,  wholesome-looking  Genoese 
sailor,  who  was  bound  on  a  visit  to  his  mother,  prior  to  his 
departure  for  California  as  third  mate  of  a  brigantine.  The 
other  was  a  sturdy  fellow,  dressed  in  a  fustian  jacket  with 
brass  buttons,  relievo'd  in  dogs,  all  of  which  I  was  able  to 
discover  by  the  light  from  my  cigar.  He  was  attended  by  a 
pointer  bitch,  which  I  at  once  kicked  out  of  the  vehicle. 
This  proceeding  caused  some  inquietude  to  the  owner  (who 
told  me  he  was  a  marble-cutter  from  Carrara,  and  I  presume 
had  probably  stolen  the  brute),  and  he  never  ceased  keep- 
ing his  neck  stretched  out  of  tho  window,  whistling  or  chirp- 
ing to  his  property. 

The  sailor  became  very  masonic.  He  related  to  me  his 
private  biography  in  the  first  five  minutes,  and  then  made 
personal  friends,  by  pulling  out  a  jack-knife  and  a  pear  from 
his  trowsers  pockets,  which  he  cut  in  halves  and  divided  gen- 
erously between  us.  In  a  short  time  we  all  became  friendly 
and  sociable. 

•     The  road  from  Spezia  towards  Genoa  leads  up  the  high 
hills  back  of  the  town  by  a  steep  succession  of  zigzags,  until 


TUSCAN    BRIGANDS.  161 

the  summit  of  the  ridge  is  gained,  and  then  down  we  went 
on  the  other  slope  to  the  valley  of  Borghetto ;  where  wind- 
ing along  a  branch  of  the  river  Magra,  with  the  rain  still 
descending  in  torrents,  bells  ringing  the  vesper  chimes,  and 
lights  twinkling  through  the  misty  gloom,  we  drove  into  the 
little  town  of  Borghetto. 

Here  we  stayed  till  some  chickens  were  killed,  plucked, 
and  grilled  for  supper,  at  which  repast  the  sailor  stood  treat 
for  a  three-franc  bottle  of  Marsalla — when  our  Jehu,  Guiseppe, 
putting  his  weather-beaten  mahogany  profile  within  the  door, 
cried,  "  Andiam,  Signori?  and  we  passed  out  of  the  albergo 
in  readiness  for  the  road. 

Before  taking  our  places,  however,  we  discovered  a  small 
corps  of  three  stragglers,  who  it  seemed  were  about  to  occupv 
some  hitherto  unknown  portion  of  the  vehicle.  The  general 
aspect  of  these  gentry  was  certainly  forbidding.  They  had  a 
dash  of  real  theatrical  brigands,  with  bushy  black  beards  and 
gleaming  eyes,  surmounted  by  regular  robber  red  caps,  which 
hung  in  bags  down  their  backs.  Moreover,  they  were  a  trifle 
under  the  influence  of  drink,  somewhat  incoherent  in  speech, 
and  altogether  rude  and  boisterous  in  behavior.  I  examined 
them  attentively  by  the  glare  of  the  lanterns,  and  though  they 
did  not  strike  me  as  being  moral  specimens  of  humanity,  yet 
they  might  prove  perfectly  harmless.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
as  brigands,  they  chose  to  labor  in  their  vocation,  why  it 
might  prove  a  round  family  game,  and  we  all  could  take  a 
hand.  This  was  the  way  I  reasoned. 

My  companions,  however,  seriously  demurred  to  continuing* 
the  journey  ;  the  sailor  more  particularly,  and  being  in  a  high 


162  SCAMPAVIAS. 

state  of  alarm  and  Marsalla,  he  positively  refused  to  budge  a 
step  in  such  very  suspicious  company. 

Meanwhile,  I  held  a  private  council  with  Guiseppe,  and  as 
he  assured  me,  by  half  a  dozen  saints  of  his  especial  venera- 
tion, that  the  bandits  in  question  were  friends  of  his — 
poor  Tuscan  peasants,  a  little  the  worse  for  wine — and  that 
there  was  not  the  slightest  danger  to  be  apprehended  from 
them,  I  then  boldly  encouraged  my  comrades.  I  assured  them 
I  had  pistols — I  meant  those  on  board  the  Frigate — and  if  the 
worst  came  to  the  worst,  we  were  four  to  three,  and  we  might 
in  case  of  need,  assassinate  the  villains  beforehand,  or  as  soon 
as  we  got  clear  of  the  town.  These,  with  other  cheering 
reflections,  calmed,  for  a  time,  the  general  panic,  and  we  all 
resumed  our  places.  The  pointer  bitch  made  a  bolt  during 
this  crisis,  to  get  in  also,  when  by  mistake,  I  kicked  her  mas- 
ter severely  on  the  shins,  which  he  at  once  transferred  to  the 
brute,  and  so  kept  her  out.  With  the  exception  of  the  stout 
sailor,  whose  fears  still  beguiled  him,  we  were  again  tolerably 
comfortable. 

Our  course  lay  up  the  mountains,  the  rain  still  beat  upon 
the  rough  road,  and  our  pace  was  tediously  slow.  Feeling 
myself  quite  happy,  even  amid  these  discomforts,  I  wrapped 
in  a  plaid,  and  resigned  myself  to  a  jolting  sort  of  doze.  Soon 
after  midnight  I  was  aroused  by  the  wheels  coming  to  a  dead 
lock,  and  presently  the  cochero  put  his  old  face  in  at  the 
window,  and  implored  us  to  descend  and  have  a  care  for  our 
several  necks. 

The  night  was  black  as  Avernus.  The  muttering  thunder 
of  the  waves  greeted  our  ears,  as  the  sound  came  up  from  the 


G  U  I  8  K  P  P  E  .  163 

sea  with  angry  gusts  of  wind ;  and  the  fog  and  rain  made  the 
atmosphere  so  opaque  that  the  carriage-lantern  could  hardly 
pierce  the  darkness.  By  the  rood,  the  mules,  too,  harnessed 
three  abreast,  were  becoming  uneasy,  which  was  in  itself 
remarkable,  since  those  animals  are  of  a  phlegmatic  tempera- 
ment, and  never  exert  themselves  without  cause. 

"  Signori,"  bawled  Giuseppe,  " get  down."  "Cospetto,"  I 
swore  genteelly,  "  a  gentleman  to  descend  in  all  this  fog, 
mud,  and  drizzle,  with  patent-leather  boots,  when  he  has  paid 
ever  so  many  francs  to  be  taken  drv  to  Chiavari.  Oh  !  no ! 
Signor  Guiseppe." 

Accordingly  I  refused  to  stir,  believing,  at  the  time,  that 
the  disagreeables  attending  a  tramp  under  the  circumstances 
were  greater  than  a  reasonable  biped  could  endure.  Well,  on 
we  creaked  and  jolted  a  little  while  longer,  when  another 
halt  occurred,  and  the  driver  again  opened  the  coach  door. 
On  this  occasion  I  began  the  conversation  by  inquiring, 
41  When  he  thought  we  should  arrive,  provided  the  wind  held  ?" 
To  this  nautical  interrogatory  he  promptly  replied  :  in  forty 
days  and  nights;  and  that  the  Capitano  had  better  talk  to  the 
lovely  Madonna  to  save  him  from  tumbling  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean,, instead  of  calling  out  for  the  Diavolo.  "  Lascia  la 
burla  quando piu  place"  he  added  gruffly,  as  he  turned  to  his 
kicking  mules. 

Finding  that  Guiseppe  was  a  wit  as  well  as  a  Jehu,  and  that 
I  was  only  wasting  time  and  breath  by  resisting  his  entrea- 
ties, I  therefore  alighted.  My  companions  did  the  same,  as 
they  seemed  somehow  to  regard  me  in  the  light  of  a  leader* 
and  protector. 


164  SCAMPAVIAS. 

On  getting  pretty  firmly  planted  in  the  mud  outside  the 
vehicle,  and  peering  about  a  little  in  the  gloom,  what  was 
my  indignation  to  discover  two  of  our  brigand  passengers 
stretched  on  top  of  the  luggage,  clasped  in  each  other's  arms 
and  crying  piteously ;  while  the  third  villain  was  strapped  on 
to  the  boot  and  snoring  like  a  porpoise.  I  immediately  took 
vigorous  measures  to  dislodge  the  whole  party.  This  I 
achieved  by  prying  them  out  separately  from  their  nests,  with 
a  sharp,  iron-pointed,  little  stick,  and  requesting  them  to  tramp 
in  the  mire  with  their  betters.  Indeed,  they  were  so  peace- 
able and  tractable,  that  I  had  some  idea  of  insisting  upon  their 
transporting  me  bodily  on  their  backs  the  remaining  portion 
of  the  journey.  I  did  not,  however,  wish  to  desert  my  friends. 

But  what  was  to  be  done?  We  were  upon  the  steep 
slopes  of  the  mountains  which  fringe  the  Mediterranean ; 
loose  rocks  and  earth,  undermined  by  heavy  and  incessant 
rains  for  a  month  past,  had,  in  many  places,  swept  away  the 
track,  and,  indeed,  the  hoarse,  roaring  slide  of  these  ava- 
lanches every  few  minutes  resounded  in  our  ears.  Our  best 
plan,  however,  was  to  get  on  as  soon  as  possible.  So, 
attended  by  the  sailor  with  a  lantern,  I  marched  ahead, 
while  the  other  varlets  walked  by  the  bridles  of  the  mules,  or 
buoyed  the  wheels  over  defective  places  in  the  road.  We 
made  slow  headway ;  but  it  was  the  only  safe  course  to 
pursue.  Nor  had  Guiseppe  at  all  exaggerated  the  peril ;  for, 
as  we  wound  and  toiled  along  the  sheer  faces  of  the  pre- 
cipices, with  the  noise  of  the  land-slides  around  us  in  the 
valleys,  the  loud  crash  of  the  waves  breaking  with  the  force 
of  the  gale  upon  the  rock-ribbed  coast,  hundreds  of  feet 


PORTO    FINO.  165 

beneath  us,  I  felt  convinced  that  Guiseppe  was  a  friend  and 
safe  guide  to  travellers. 

For  four  mortal  hours,  drenched  to  the  bones  with  rain, 
fog,  wind,  and  mud,  we  trudged  on,  until  at  last  daylight 
struggled  through  the  dense  vapor ;  the  road  became  more 
passable ;  we  regained  our  seats  in  the  carriage ;  the  bandits 
festooned  themselves  on  behind ;  Guiseppe  swung  his  person 
into  the  saddle,  and  in  due  season  we  rattled  into  the  city  of 
Chiavari. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  sought  shelter  within  a  small  cafe*, 
while  the  torrents  of  rain  pattered  so  fiercely  upon  the  paved 
marble  streets,  as  to  deaden  the  music  of  the  matin  Sunday 
bells.  Signor  Guiseppe,  having  disposed  of  his  mules,  stood 
before  me.  He  seemed  a  combination  of  a  cataract  and 
water-ram.  His  huge  flapped  hat  still  poured  out  streams 
over  his  face  and  shoulders,  while,  at  every  movement  in  his 
enormous  postillion  boots,  the  mud  and  water  jetted  up 
to  his  nose.  I  paid  Guiseppe  liberal  buona-mano  for  his  ser- 
vices, to  which  I  added  a  stiff  mixture  of  rum  and  chocolate, 
having  myself  experimented  in  that  compound  to  prevent  the 
night-dews  from  striking  into  the  system. 

I  took  a  place  in  the  banquette  of  the  diligence  for  Genoa, 
and,  wet  as  I  was,  I  enjoyed  the  drive  greatly.  The  road — 
as  magnificent  a  work  as  this  part  of  Italy  presents — leads 
high  up  the  projecting  acclivities  of  the  mountains  bordering 
upon  the  sea,  where,  for  many  miles,  the  traveller  seems 
to  overhang  the  beetling  crags  below.  At  the  headland 
of  Porto  Fino,  the  sun  burst  forth,  and  the  view  was  positively 
magnificent. 


166  S  O  AMPA  VI  A  8  . 

From  east  to  west,  the  eye  ranges  along  the  receding 
shores;  the  points  and  rocky  capes  indented  with  gothio/- 
shaped  curves,  guarded  by  giant  promontories,  sparkle  with 
villages  by  the  margin  of  the  sea ;  while  towns,  spires,  groves, 
and  terraced  vineyards,  deck  the  slopes  above,  and  the  Medi- 
terranean, with  its  broad  blue  expanse  specked  far  and 
near  with  white  sails,  comes  rolling  in  with  headlong 
impetuosity  upon  the  iron-bound  coast — dashing  its  foam 
into  wild  and  fanciful  wreaths,  and  filling  up  the  glorious 
picture. 

They  make  fine  lace  in  Brussels  and  France,  and  warm 
colored  velvets  in  Italy ;  but  the  sea,  the  sun,  the  sky,  and 
a  gale  upon  a  coast  like  this,  can  put  to  blush  the  most 
gossamer  fabrics  and  the  most  gorgeous  hues  ever  woven  or 
dyed  by  the  hands  of  man. 

Three  changes  of  horses  brought  us  to  Genoa,  where, 
taking  a  coupe"  corner  in  the  Bonafous  diligence  for  Arquata, 
I  retired  to  the  vestibule  of  the  Brignoli  palace,  where  I  had 
my  boots  polished  by  a  youth  of  some  fifty  summers,  and 
made  myself  somewhat  tidy — these  liberties  not  being 
uncommon  in  the  palaces  of  the  nobility.  From  there  I  went 
to  the  cafe"  Concordia,  had  a  decentish  dinner,  and  so  on,  for 
another  night  in  the  coach. 

I  took  my  place  in  the  huge  leviathan  of  a  diligence,  and 
should,  I  think,  have  dozed  through  the  journey  peacefully, 
had  it  not  been  for  a  brace  of  velvet  merchants  of  Genoa 
beside  me,  who  talked  veluti,  taking  snuff  and  sneezing 
between  whiles,  the  entire  distance.  I  made  a  futile  attempt 
to  get  up  a  chat  with  one,  by  asking  if  he  parleyed  Fran9ais, 


TURIN.  167 

to  which  he  responded,  "un  pew,"  and  the  other  replied 
to  the  same  interrogatory  in  the  English  vernacular,  "a  small," 
so  there  the  conversation  ended. 

Though  the  rain  had  ceased  and  the  weather  partially 
cleared,  yet  the  roads  were  dreadfully  heavy  and  cut  up  with 
deep  ruts.  Still  we  were  making  good  time,  when  at  the 
turn  of  a  bridge,  where  the  magnificent  work  for  the  new 
railway  was  then  under  construction,  a  large  loaded  fourgon 
got  stuck  in  the  mud  directly  in  our  way,  which  detained  us 
an  hour.  When  enabled  to  get  on,  notwithstanding  rapid 
driving,  we  only  reached  Arquata  a  minute  before  the  train 
started. 

I  was  ushered  into  the  cars  with  exceeding  firmness  and 
great  politeness,  on  the  part  of  a  smart  field-officer,  or  aid- 
de-camp  to  some  distinguished  military  personage,  as  I  took 
him  to  be,  until  I  afterwards  discovered  that  all  the  employes 
of  the  railway  were  attired  in  a  similar  manner.  However, 
everything  was  exceedingly  well  managed ;  and  it  was,  at  the 
same  time,  solacing  to  reflect  that,  in  the  event  of  an  accident 
of  a  serious  nature,  the  president  and  directors  of  the  com- 
pany were  liable  to  be  put  in  the  galleys  for  life. 

We  glided  quietly  over  the  level  plains  of  Piedmont  until 
morning,  and  then  we  were  at  Turin.  Here  I  found  sufficient 
business  to  occupy  me  until  towards  evening,  when  I  again 
took  lodgings  in  a  diligence ;  this  time  my  quarters  were  in 
the  third  story,  up  in  the  imperiale,  or  banquette. 

I  kept  my  eyes  open  as  we  crashed  and  rattled  through 
the  noble  streets  of  the  city,  and  even  for  some  miles  along 
the  grand  avenue  of  elms  of  the  Mont  Cenis  road ;  but  the 


168  SOAMPAVIAS. 

last  incident  I  remember  was,  the  postillion  on  the  leaders, 
letting  off  a  sharp  volley  of  whip-cracks  at  several  clusters  of 
Jesuit  priests  walking  unicorn  beneath  the  trees,  when  I  went 
off  to  sleep,  to  be  prepared  for  the  snow-clad  mountains 
before  us. 

When  I  awoke,  I  beheld  a  long  line  of  horses,  mules,  and 
oxen  ahead  of  the  ponderous  coach,  slowly  tugging  us  up  the 
sides  of  the  pass.  The  night  was  clear,  cool,  and  bracing ; 
the  stars  twinkled  merrily,  and,  about  midway  up  the  moun- 
tain, I  alighted,  and  walked  to  the  top  on  foot.  Here  we 
cast  off  our  sturdy  oxen  and  spare  beasts,  and,  again  climbing 
up  to  my  roost,  we  ran  down  the  opposite  slopes,  into  the 
valleys  of  Lombardy ;  while  the  glorious  sun  poured  its  rays 
from  the  everlasting  snows  above,  down  to  the  dancing,  foam- 
ing torrents,  which  leaped  and  bounded  noisily  beside  us. 

The  banquette  of  a  diligence  is  not  a  place  provocative  of 
quiet  repose ;  but,  in  fine  weather,  one  has  air  and  light,  so 
that  on  occasions  it  is  to  be  preferred.  I  was  fortunate,  too, 
in  finding  a  place  even  there;  for  every  inch  of  space  was 
filled  below,  and  another  individual  (who,  by  the  way,  was  a 
sharp  Yorkshire  horse-dealer,  returning  from  Parma,  where 
he  had  disposed  of  some  showy  old  rips  to  the  Duke)  was 
obliged  to  crawl  away  behind,  in  amidst  the  straw  and  the 
luggage.  How  he  escaped  suffocation,  was  then,  and  is  now, 
to  me,  a  mystery. 

Towards  noon,  we  stopped  at  the  little  town  of  St.  Jean, 
where  we  breakfasted  at  the  table  d'hote  of  the  Lion  d'or. 
I  regret  to  say  that  I  made  an  unfavorable  impression  on 
the  mind,  and  especially  the  countenance  of  the  strapping 


THE    BANQUETTE.  169 

girl  garden  who  served  the  repast,  by  helping  myself  twice  to 
red-legged  partridges. 

Rolling  on  from  Saint  Jean,  through  a  delightful  country, 
with  the  valleys  widening  in  all  directions,  water  bubbling 
everywhere,  and  the  vintage  just  ready  for  gathering,  at  dark 
we  found  ourselves  in  Chambery. 

We  were  approaching  France.  You  know  that  by  the 
taste  of  the  wine,  which  is  thin  and  pure,  and  quite  unlike 
the  bitter,  husky,  acrid,  rotten-apple  goft,t  of  all  the  thick-skin- 
ned grapes  of  Italy.  At  Chambery  the  vender  of  horses  left 
us ;  but  while  I  was  standing  beside  the  coach,  waiting  for  a 
ladder  to  reach  my  lodgings,  I  found  his  place  was  supplied 
by  a  person  who  hailed  me  with  : 

"  Monseer  etes  vouge  Francay  ?" 

"  No,"  I  replied,  "  but  you  are  a  Johannes  Taurus,  I  rather 
fancy." 

"  Oho !"  he  chuckled,  "  and  you  are  a  Jonathan,  and  Fm 
glad  to  find  a  Christian  in  this  country  who  speaks  Saxon." 

Thereupon,  we  held  a  council  upon  the  stock  of  prog  and 
drink  we  had  for  the  night ;  and  I  discovered  that  my  new 
acquaintance  was  amply  supplied  with  every  creature  comfort, 
save  what  he  called  "  pipes ;"  and,  as  I  happened  to  have  the 
articles  he  desired  (cigars),  why  I  took  my  place,  and  we 
passed  the  time  cheerfully  until  we  came  to  Pont  Beauvoisin, 
on  the  French  frontier. 

Here,  on  the  little  bridge,  we  were  forced  to  wait  until  our 
turn  came  to  be  examined  by  the  douaniers ;  and  when,  at 
last,  it  did  come,  the  diligence  was  dragged  into  a  great 
building,  unloaded,  luggage  overhauled,  plomb£d,  restowed 

8 


170  SOAMPAVIAS. 

again,  and  all  made  right :  then  we  went  on  a  few  miles 
further,  where  pretty  much  the  same  process  was  gone 
through  again,  before  we  finally  resumed  our  journey. 

At  Beauvoisin,  I  came  into  possession  of  a  corner  of  tho 
coupe",  which  was  not  a  bad  exchange  from  the  realms  above ; 
for  the  rain  began  to  fall,  and  I  preferred  to  keep  my  raiment 
dry. 

One  of  my  companions  in  the  coup£  was  a  slim  student,  in 
a  black  velvet  cap  and  spectacles,  highly  scented  with  garlic, 
and  indulging  in  a  frugal  repast  of  Bologna-sausage  and 
brown  bread.  Withal  he  remained  in  the  profoundest  state 
of  mental  abstraction.  The  other  occupant  was  a  huge,  fat 
monster,  with  a  face  like  a  heated  oven,  and  very  unwieldy 
in  the  legs,  which  were  carefully  swathed  in  green  baize.  I 
soon  became  aware  that  he  was  the  pere  defamille  of  a  small 
band  of  six  in  the  interior  of  the  diligence,  consisting  of  la 
mere,  who  was  built  on  the  same  model  as  her  old  epoux,  and 
five  daughters,  who  had  evidently  been  launched  from  the 
same  ways. 

The  name  of  this  interesting  family  was  Cottini,  who  were 
grocers  of  means  in  Genoa,  and  bound  on  a  pleasure  excur- 
sion to  Paris. 

The  senior  Cottini  being,  as  I  have  already  affirmed,  very 
large  of  girth,  and  heavy  of  limb,  took  up,  as  a  consequence, 
his  full  share  of  room,  and  rather  more ;  so  that  I  was 
squeezed  like  a  lemon  for  the  remainder  of  the  drive. 

If  this  venerable  parent  had  remained  quiescent  in  his 
obesity,  I  should  have  become  resigned  to  minor  inconveni- 
ences ;  but  every  few  minutes  he  would  break  out  in  a  snort, 


THE    COTTINI    FAMILY.  171 

roll  his  walrus-like  proportions  over  me  or  the  contemplative 
student,  and  roar  some  solicitous  observations  out  of  the  win- 
dow, with  respect  to  the  health  or  comfort  of  his  interesting 
spouse  and  progeny  in  the  interior. 

The  delay  at  the  frontier  and  the  inner  custom-house  cor- 
don had  belated  us  considerably,  and,  since  I  was  extremely 
anxious  to  reach  Lyons  in  time  for  the  Saone  steamer,  I  did 
not  cease  to  "  drink  the  horses,"  as  it  is  termed  ;  by  giving 
the  conductor  francs  at  various  auberges  where  we  changed 
cattle ;  which  seemed  to  exercise  a  beneficial  influence  upon 
the  postillions,  and  the  teams  galloped  along  bravely.  Day- 
light found  us  rolling  rapidly  over  the  fine  level  roads  towards 
the  Rhone.  At  eight  o'clock  we  drew  up  at  the  outer  bar- 
rier of  the  great  town  of  Lyons,  when  the  polite  Octroi  people 
made  the  usual  demand  of:  "  Rien  declarer,  Messieurs  ?" 

Of  course,  no  one  ever  has  anything  to  declare ;  but,  on  this 
occasion,  what  was  my  horror,  to  hear  the  senior  Cottini 
announce  a  cheese  as  big  as  a  millstone,  which  he  had  brought 
from  Genoa.  Here  was  another  detention,  to  make  out  half 
a  dozen  forms  for  a  small  duty  of  seventeen  sous,  when  every 
minute  was  valuable.  This  matter  disposed  of,  we  continued 
slowly  on  through  the  crowded  thoroughfares,  until  we  came 
to  the  Rhone  bridge,  where,  again,  in  reply  to  another  Octroi 
man,  the  truthful  Cottini  would  declare  that  same  cheese.  I 
lost  all  patience,  and  promised,  if  he  would  pitch  it  into  the 
river,  I  would  get  him  the  contract  to  supply  the  fleet  when  I 
got  back  to  the  Mediterranean.  But  no !  my  entreaties  were 
laughed  to  scorn,  and  I  saw  at  once  that  the  prettiest  of  the 
Cottini  demoiselles  despised  me. 


172  SOAMPAVIAS. 

At  last  we  crawled  over  the  bridge,  and  descended  at  the 
court-yard  of  the  Messagerie.  I  seized  my  valise,  sprang  into 
a  cab,  and,  by  furious  driving,  succeeded  in  getting  on  board 
of  the  steamer  just  as  the  paddles  were  put  in  motion. 
8hortly  after  I  beheld  the  entire  Cottini  brood  arrive,  shriek- 
ing on  the  quay,  "with  uplift  arms,  and  broken-hearted," 
but,  greatly  to  my  satisfaction,  we  steamed  rapidly  away,  and 
left  them  and  their  cheese  to  fate. 

All  through  the  day  in  the  pouring  rain  we  paddled  up  the 
river,  until,  towards  nightfall,  we  came  to  the  luxurious  rail- 
way carriages  at  Chalons. 

From  this  time  forth,  I  have  a  confused  recollection  of  rush- 
ing through  Paris  to  Havre ;  of  there  going  on  board  a  small 
black  beetle  of  a  steam-tug  and  sailing  out  to  the  good  ship 
Humboldt,  lying  in  the  offing ;  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
beetle  ran  into  the  paddle-box  of  that  ship  and  butted  her 
bowsprit  short  off:  how  in  going  to  the  port  again,  the  pas- 
sengers  were  regaled  with  our  national  anthem  of  Yankee 
Doodle,  played  by  two  boys  with  each  a  grinder ;  how,  with 
an  addition  to  my  responsibilities  of  a  lady  and  baby,  I  was 
kept  in  pawn  by  the  attentive  douaniers,  until  the  trunks  had 
been  divested  of  cigars ;  how  at  last  we  glided  back  to  Paris, 
where  we  saw  the  entre'e  of  the  Prince  President.  That  was 
a  sight  of  which  I  still  retain  a  vivid  recollection. 

From  the  barriere  at  the  Lyons  terminus  over  the  bridge 
of  Austerlitz,  all  the  way  by  the  Boulevards  to  the  Place 
Concorde,  the  avenues  were  lined  with  dense  masses  of  troops. 
Clouds  of  cavalry  swept  through  the  open  space  on  a  trot, 
and  presently  appeared  a  brilliant  throng  of  generals,  while. 


PARIBIENNo.     46.  173 

sixty  yards  in  advance,  rode  Louis  Napoleon.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  superb  Arabian,  and  sat  him  like  an  Arab.  He 
looked  proud  and  elated,  as  well  he  might,  since  he  had  first 
taught  the  bourgeois  of  Paris  that  the  departments  of  France 
could  make  revolutions  as  well  as  they ;  and  this  triumphal 
entry  was  the  result  of  it. 

My  memory  again  becomes  confused,  and  I  remember 
nothing  of  consequence  until  we  found  ourselves  at  the  city 
of  Lyons,  in  the  Hotel  Univers  at  three  o'clock  one  raw,  foggy 
morning.  It  was  at  this  unchristian-like  hour  that  we  were 
summoned  to  prepare  to  embark  on  the  Rhone  boat ;  not  that 
the  boat  had  the  slightest  intention  of  starting  at  the  time 
designated,  but  simply  the  matter  is  done  to  make  people 
uncomfortable.  A  Frenchman  knows  no  more  of  managing 
a  steamboat  than  of  driving  trotting  horses.  These  feats  he 
has  never  been  able  to  accomplish.  The  whole  service  of 
the  river  steam  navigation  in  France  is  carried  on  in  a  slip- 
shod, careless,  indifferent  manner,  and  no  mere  passenger  can 
tell  where,  when,  or  how,  to  reach  his  destination.  So  on 
the  occasion  I  speak  of,  when  the  omnibus  poked  its  way 
through  the  fog  to  the  banks  of  the  Rhone  to  embark  us  on 
board  the  "Parisien,  No.  46,"  after  wading  ankle-deep  in  the 
mud  between  crowds  of  ruffianly  porters,  with  huge  loads  of 
trunks  or  merchandise  on  their  shoulders,  striving  to  dash  the 
brains  out  of  quiet  persons  within  reach,  we  at  last  by  a  suc- 
cession of  miracles  contrived  to  get  buffeted  on  to  a  slippery 
plank  bridge  leading  to  the  steamer,  and  then  to  slide,  at  the 
risk  of  our  necks,  to  the  deck.  Such  a  filthy,  miserable 
craft — the  best  on  the  river,  too — I  never  beheld.  She  was 


174  SOAMPAVIAS. 

about  two  hundred  feet  long  and  fourteen  wide.  Luggage, 
carriages,  and  merchandise  filled  four-fifths  of  this  space  on 
the  deck,  and  the  passengers  were  huddled  into  the  remainder. 
Below,  in  what  was  called,  in  superlative  French,  the  "  grand 
salon"  were  holes  shaped  like  bread-trays,  with  scarcely 
room  for  two  persons  to  sit  face  to  face,  yet  it  was  so  jammed 
with  men,  women,  and  children,  that  to  move  was  simply  an 
impossibility.  In  addition  to  the  disagreeables  below,  the  fog 
and  drizzle  on  deck  combined  with  the  filthy  jets  of  smoke 
from  the  low  pipes,  pouring  their  offerings  just  into  our  eyes? 
made  the  "  Parisien,  No.  46,"  the  most  abominable  beast  con- 
ceivable. I  had  but  one  unceasing  aspiration,  that  of  beholding 
the  directors  of  the  company  simmering  in  their  own  boilers. 

After  squabbling  with  hotel-porters,  and  being  extortion- 
ized  by  a  villain  encased  in  a  wooden  box  on  the  bridge,  for 
extra  luggage,  I  at  last  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my 
trunks  plunged  pell-mell,  like  so  many  paving  stones,  down 
into  the  hold. 

The  "  Parisien,  No.  46,"  had  been  advertised  to  leave 
punctually  at  four  o'clock,  yet  it  was  long  past  six  before  any 
demonstration  was  made  at  all  in  that  direction.  Then  her 
nose  was  pushed  out  into  the  stream,  where  she  lay  broad- 
side on  to  the  strong  current,  reeling  half  over  with  a  great 
top-heavy  weight  of  freight,  until  I  thought  every  instant  she 
would  roll  bodily  over  and  drown  all  hands. 

11  So  now  the  headlong,  headstrong  boat, 

Unmanaged,  turns  aside, 
And  straight  presents  her  reeling  flank 

Against  the  swelling  tide." 


THE    EHONE.  175 

She  escaped,  however,  and,  after  several  trials,  her  head 
was  turned  down  the  stream  ;  but  then  the  fog  came  up,  and 
we  seemed  to  be  shrouded  in  wool.  So,  once  more,  we  were 
made  fast  to  ring-bolts  on  the  river's  bank,  and  waited  in  all 
the  slime,  suffocation,  and  discomfort,  for  a  glimmer  of  sun- 
shine to  enable  us  to  begin  our  voyage.  In  another  hour 
the  weather  brightened  and  away  we  skimmed  with  the 
rushing  tide.  The  Rhone  was  at  a  high  stage  of  water, 
which  rather  added  to  the  difficulties  of  the  navigation  ;  at 
all  times  not  safe  in  descending. 

Owing  to  the  extreme  length  and  narrowness  of  the  boat, 
she  became  at  times  unmanageable,  and,  when  caught  in  the 
whirling  eddies  of  the  water,  she  would  be  spun  like  a  cork 
out  of  the  course,  and,  notwithstanding  the  stout  helmsmen, 
perched  high  up  on  the  steering  platform  over  the  stern, 
would  ply  the  tiller  ropes  with  all  their  force,  the  rudder 
could  not  direct  the  hull.  Once  we  were  within  an  ace  of 
being  cracked  to  pieces  like  a  walnut,  upon  a  sharp  reef  of 
rocks  near  the  bank ;  and  again,  in  shooting  a  bridge,  we 
grazed  one  of  the  piers  so  narrowly  that  I  thought  it  was  all 
up  with  us  ;  this,  too,  going  at  a  speed  of  full  eighteen  miles 
the  hour,  with  steam  and  current,  would  have  made  the 
chances  of  salvation  desperate  for  the  three  hundred  souls  on 
board.  In  all  my  canal,  river,  and  ocean  experience,  from  a 
bolsa  to  a  line  of  battle-ship,  I  never  sailed  in  such  a  dan- 
gerous vessel  as  that  "  Parisien." 

This  class  of  boats  are  merely  long  iron  tubes,  not  braced 
nor  strengthened  in  any  substantial  way — the  plates  no 
thicker  than  pasteboard — and  the  inevitable  consequence 


176  SCAMPAVIAS. 

must  be,  that  if  they  happen  to  touch  amidships,  they  will 
break  in  two  pieces  like  a  stick.  To  fancy  one  of  these 
sheet-iron  bottles  filling  in  five  seconds,  and  the  scene  that 
would  follow.  Ah ! 

Towards  noon,  the  sun  had  killed  the  fog,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  smoke-pipes  being  lowered  every  few  miles,  and 
charging  the  passengers  to  the  brim  with  coal  soot,  we 
might  have  enjoyed  some  transient  gratification  in  beholding 
the  fine  country,  with  the  cultivated  fields  and  vineyards 
around  us. 

At  intervals  we  touched  at  landings  along  the  river,  and 
then  the  confusion  knew  no  bounds.  Order  or  authority  did 
not  exist ;  but  we  were  overrun  by  coarse  ruffians,  with 
short  pipes  and  blouses,  who  dashed  on  board  and  seized  any 
article  they  could  lay  violent  hands  on.  These  fellows  were 
Goths,  to  be  sure,  but  they  proved  to  be  gentlemen  of  the 
Grandison  school,  compared  to  the  merry  men  whom  we 
encountered  at  Avignon. 

By  the  rood,  the  porters  of  this  ancient  residence  of  the 
holy  fathers  of  Saint  Peter  are  rascals  of  eminence  ! 

Stand  clear !  Here  they  come.  The  "  Parisien "  has 
backed  alongside  the  river's  bank,  darkness  is  over  us,  and 
here  come  the  porters.  May  the  Bon  Dieu  befriend  the 
timid  and  the  weak  of  limb,  who  oppose  their  progress  ! 
Here  they  are,  these  brutal  enfans  du  Diable,  right  in 
amongst  us.  What  is  it  they  want  ?  Is  it  pillage,  rape,  or 
murder,  they  have  come  for  ?  No  !  trunks !  trunks !  They 
are  desperate  fellows,  and  will  have  them. 

It  is  needless  to  strive  against  their  violence,  abuse,  extor- 


THE    MERRY    PORTERS.  177 

tion,  or  rascality.  There  is  no  redress.  They  not  only  snap 
their  fingers  at  the  police,  but  being,  as  a  class,  wealthy,  they 
maintain  three  hundred  superannuated  old  miscreants ;  and 
all  get  drunk  together  every  night  of  their  lives,  after  the 
depredations  of  the  day  are  ended. 

I  had  sturdily  refused  to  permit  a  single  one  of  these 
brigands  to  carry  off  my  effects,  until  a  servant  returned  from 
seeking  lodgings  in  the  town ;  but,  meanwhile,  most  of  the 
luggage  had  been  pounced  upon,  and  there  was  very  little 
game  left.  I  was,  however,  constantly  assailed  with  oppro- 
brious epithets,  for  daring  to  defend  my  property.  But,  at 
last,  one  venerable  villain,  of  moderate  dimensions,  resolving, 
perhaps,  to  put  a  stop  to  all  such  nonsense,  boldly  seized  one 
of  my  trunks.  His  companions  were,  for  the  moment,  invisi- 
ble. I  had  been  in  a  tempest  of  suppressed  rage  all  the  voy- 
age, and,  without  more  provocation,  I  planted  a  blow  right 
between  the  eyes  of  the  old  harpy,  which  hurled  him  with 
such  violence  against  the  coaming  of  the  paddle-guards  that 
I  reasonably  presumed  it  would  incapacitate  him  for  plunder, 
and  place  him  hors-de-combat  for  many  "Parisiens"  to 
come. 

In  a  moment  I  had  changed  my  hat  and  cloak  for  a  cap 
and  shawl,  so  that  when  the  howls  of  'my  fallen  adversary 
attracted  the  attention  of  a  horde  of  his  comrades,  they  could 
not  detect  the  aggressor.  During  the  evening,  however,  the 
little  square  in  front  of  our  hotel  was  thronged  with  porters, 
and  a  committee  appointed,  after  due  consultation,  to  dis- 
cover, if  possible,  the  person  who  had  assaulted  one  of  their 
honorable  body.  I  need  not  say  that  the  investigation  was 

8* 


178  SCAMPAVIAS. 

a  failure ;  but  I  believe  there  was  not  a  man  in  that  old 
town  who  ate  his  supper,  or  drank  his  Bordeaux  with  greater 
satisfaction  that  night  than  I  did.  Indeed,  when  rolling  on 
the  following  day  to  Marseilles,  it  was  with  a  resigned  and 
grateful  heart  that  I  looked  back  to  the  injury  I  had  inflicted 
on  the  Avignon  porter. 

After  a  few  days  of  repose  at  Marseilles,  we  embarked  in 
another  nasty  bed-buggy  boat  for  Genoa,  where,  with  a  little 
caravan  of  children,  to  whom  I  caused  to  be  administered  a 
teaspoonful  of  paregoric  all  round,  to  keep  them  quiet  during 
the  night,  we  took  a  coach,  and  the  next  day  we  were  once 
more  in  secluded  little  Spezia. 


ORANGES    AND    LEMONS 


1T9 


Chapter    XVI. 

There  stands  a  city — neither  large  nor  small, 
Its  air  and  situation  sweet  and  pretty ; 
It  matters  very  little— if  at  all— 
Whether  its  denizens  are  dull  or  witty, 
Whether  the  ladies  there  are  short  or  tall, 
Brunettes  or  blondes,  only  there  stands  a  city 


Oranges    and    Lemons. 

THE  lady  and  the  baby  whom  I  convoyed  to  Spezia  made  up 
their  minds — especially  the  baby — to  go  to  housekeeping. 
Now,  this  is  a  very  easy  matter  for  families  who  drop  down 
into  Florence,  Rome,  or  Naples,  where  there  are  plenty  of 


180  SCAMPAVIAS. 

furnished  houses  ready  at  a  moment's  notice,  but  in  a  little  out- 
of-the-way  spot  like  Spezia,  where  few  ever  think  of  stopping 
longer  than  to  change  horses  or  pass  a  night,  the  thing  is 
quite  different.  On  first  coming  we  lodged  at  the  fine  new 
Albergo  of  the  Croce  di  Malta,  where  we  remained  a  month 
— a  small  flock  of  pigeons  to  be  plucked  by  the  rooks  who 
kept  the  hotel.  Our  rooms,  hewever,  were  spacious,  and  beau- 
tifully situated,  looking  out  upon  the  lovely  bay,  which,  in  part, 
reconciled  us  to  the  miserable  fare  we  endured,  of  little 
rechauffes  from  the  table  d'hote  freshly  oiled  and  mussed  up 
for  our  own  board. 

Meanwhile  I  was  cautiously  canvassing  the  town  in  quest  of 
eligible  lodgings.  This  was  a  serious  difficulty,  for  in  reality 
there  was  but  one  unoccupied  private  suite  of  apartments,  and 
they  belonged  to  a  noble  Marchesa,  who  passed  most  of  her 
time  in  Florence,  and  was  disinclined  to  let  them.  To  this 
lady  I  applied,  and  after  a  vigorous  interchange  of  notes, 
mutual  recriminations,  consultations  with  agents,  troubles  and 
delays  of  one  sort  or  another — all,  however,  conducted  with 
the  utmost  propriety — at  last  we  came  to  an  understanding, 
and  the  contract  was  signed. 

During  this  tedious  period  the  hotel  keepers — there  were 
three  brothers  of  them — who,  by  the  way,  incontinently  shifted 
their  own  lies  upon  an  absent  brother,  were  tolerably  sure  that 
they  had  made  game  of  me  and  mine,  including  my  Spanish 
dollars  per  diem — for  ever  so  many  months  to  come. 

At  the  same  time  another  individual,  Cozzani  by  baptism — 
who  was  the  reputed  contractor-general  of  the  province,  for 
everything  from  bathing-sheds  to  lodgings,  wine  and  olive 


C  O  Z  Z  A  N  I  .  181 

crops,  and  even  to  the  little  sardines  brought  to  the  fish  mar- 
ket— believed,  too,  in  his  secret  soul,  that  we  were  in  his  con- 
tracting clutches  ;  in  short,  that  he  had  signed  the  papers,  and 
there  could  be  no  escape  for  us. 

Now,  the  Signor  Cozzani  was  a  man  of  large  proportions, 
broad  of  back,  and  round  of  zone.  His  form  was  considered 
not  only  imposing,  but  terrific,  and  the  common  people  stood 
in  awe  of  him.  He  invariably  wore  the  uniform  of  the 
National  Guard,  which  consisted  of  a  suit  of  grey,  with  the 
cap  and  sleeves  inlaid  with  red  stripes,  while  the  same  encar- 
mined  rows  of  color  ran  down  the  legs  of  his  trowsers,  and 
which  gave  the  idea  that  he  had  been  scalped  and  bled  in 
both  jugulars,  and  the  bloody  torrent  was  perpetually  pouring 
into  his  boots. 

I  had  several  quiet  interviews  with  this  personage,  negotia- 
ting for  a  small  and  pretty  house  he  professed  to  own,  adjoin- 
ing the  Albergo.  Our  confabs  were  strictly  confidential ; 
the  brothers  of  Malta  were  not  to  have  a  hint  of  my  design 
for  a  thousand  scudi — for  they  too — philanthropic  souls — 
were  very  fond  of  me,  and  had  no  thoughts  of  letting 
me  go. 

I  examined  the  little  house,  and  spoke  of  a  few  alterations 
in  the  arrangments  of  furniture ;  the  addition  of  a  carpet,  an 
extra  oven  in  the  kitchen,  and  so  forth  ;  all  of  which  matters 
were  to  be  furnished,  and  nothing  was  wanting  but  to  hear 
from  the  red-legged  Signor's  own  lips  what  rent  he  could 
consistently  demand. 

I  was  impelled  to  this  negotiation  under  the  suspicion  that 
if  he  got  wind  of  my  designs  elsewhere,  he  would  at  once  con- 


182  SCAMPAVIAS. 

tract  for  the  Marchesa's  property,  and  thus  hold  me  at 
defiance. 

There  is  nothing  like  a  counter-irritant  for  conquest,  either 
in  war,  or  diplomacy.  Even  when  paying  court  in  the  path 
of  Venus,  and  about  to  kiss  the  hand  or  clasp  the  waist  of 
some  timid  nymph,  it  is  better  to  talk  of  the  balance  of  power 
in  Europe,  the  multitudes  of  stars  above  your  head,  or  some 
other  remote  topic,  so  that  the  attention  be  diverted  from  the 
subject  in  hand.  Except  in  devotion  to  Bacchus — where  it 
is  not  safe  to  taste  of  more  than  one  goblet  without  the  risk 
of  losing  your  head  and  heels  together — this  system  answers 
admirably,  and  I  accordingly  tried  it  with  Signor  Cozzani. 

My  last  interview  with  this  universal  purveyor  and  con- 
tractor was  one  bright  moonlight  night,  when  I  met  him  by 
secret  appointment  in  a  broad  alley  of  the  public  garden. 
There  we  stood,  face  to  face — the  moon  in  his — for  I  maneu- 
vered to  obtain  this  advantage,  as  I  wished  to  study  well  his 
intelligent  countenance. 

The  charms  of  the  little  house  by  the  sea  were  newly  gone 
over  for  the  twentieth  time  ;  the  perfection  of  the  views 
extolled ;  the  expense  of  alterations  taken  into  account ;  and 
all  the  while  Red-legs  was,  I  felt  convinced,  like  Michael 
Cassio,  casting  up  in  his  own  brain  the  last  franc  he  could 
safely  impose.  All  the  time,  too,  he  had,  I  am  sure,  fearful 
misgivings  of  mind  lest  he  should  not  ask  quite  enough. 
Finally,  however,  swinging  back  his  huge  head,  like  a  jerk  to 
a  fishing-rod  or  a  musket  at  full  cock,  he  said,  with  an  air  of 
great  sincerity,  that  the  lowest  price  would  be  four  hundred 
francs  the  month ! 


COZZANI.  183 

I  saw  through  his  extortion  in  a  moment,  as  I  knew  that 
he  had  heretofore  rented  his  small  tenement  during  the  fash- 
ionable bathing  season  for  less  than  one  third  the  sum  he 
demanded  of  me. 

My  heart,  however,  was  too  brimfull  for  words,  and  throw- 
ing myself  in  a  recumbent  posture  on  a  stone  bench,  I  gave 
vent  to  my  oppressed  feelings  in  reiterated  peals  of  laughter. 

This  strange,  not  to  say  inhuman  behavior  on  my  part, 
utterly  astounded  the  gentle  Cozzani,  who  began,  apparently, 
to  believe  that  I  had  lost  my  wits.  He  might  have  been 
prepared  for  a  remonstrance,  or  perhaps  an  objurgation,  but 
to  behold  a  Christian  roll  over  on  a  hard  marble  bench  and 
cachinnate  chokingly,  was  evidently  too  much  for  him. 

Still  I  laughed  on,  until  I  felt  sufficiently  relieved,  when, 
springing  to  my  feet,  I  clasped  Cozzani  to  my  heart,  and 
implored  him  to  join  me  at  the  neighboring  cafe  in  a  glass 
of  absinthe,  as  I  was  quite  exhausted.  Never  a  sign  or  word, 
however,  did  I  make  or  utter  with  respect  to  the  original 
subject  under  discussion,  but  ever  after,  when  returning  my 
would-be  landlord's  salutation  from  the  red-bound  cap,  the 
scowls  would  chase  away  the  smiles  from  his  broad  visage. 
He  made  some  futile  attempts,  subsequently,  through  the 
medium  of  his  friends,  to  ensnare  me,  but  they  all  failed,  and 
the  little  mansion  by  the  seashore  remained  tenantless  and 
deserted. 

On  the  termination  of  the  Cozzani  negotiation,  the  good 
Brothers  of  Malta,  to  whom  the  affair  had  been  promptly 
communicated,  seemed  to  experience  no  further  alarm  about 
my  departure  from  their  midst,  until  one  sunshiny  morning 


184  SOAMPAVIAS. 

I  summoned  one  of  the  three,  and  pleasantly  informed  him 
that  I  was  on  the  point  of  removing  to  the  Olduini  Palace, 
and  would  be  pleased  to  pay  my  dues. 

It  was  a  sad  blow  to- the  peace  and  profit  of  these  scamps, 
but  they  were  veterans  who  had  suffered  defeat  in  many  a 
sharply-contested  bill,  and  knew  how  to  bear  misfortune 
heroically.  They  saw  at  once  that  their  grand  piano  would 
be  likely  to  remain  vacant,  except  at  intervals  of  single-night 
occupation  by  a  train  of  post-coaches  of  the  haute  noblesse  ; 
but  they  fell  gracefully  with  their  casseroles  and  rechauffe's 
around  them,  trusting  that  I  would  give  the  house  a  good 
name.  I  have  accordingly  done  so. 

We  were  soon  installed  in  our  new  quarters,  and  for  nearly 
two  years  the  lady  and  the  baby  had  every  reason  to  be 
pleased  with  the  exchange. 

A.S  is  generally  the  case  with  noble  dwellings  in  Italy,  the 
principal  entrance  to  our  abode  was  from  a  narrow  and  filthy 
lane.  The  building  itself  was  immense,  with  gateways  and 
walls  like  a  fortress.  The  lower  part  was  a  vast  connection 
of  cellars  and  magazines  for  wine,  oil,  grain  and  fruit,  which 
were  stored  there  from  the  yield  of  the  farms  belonging  to 
the  estate.  These  receptacles  held  in  the  articles  of  wine 
and  oil  alone,  more  than  four  thousand  barrels.  The  first 
story  was  a  great  suite  of  rooms  appointed  for  the  lord  of  the 
mansion,  when  he  chose  to  make  them  a  visit.  Above  were 
those  of  the  marchesa,  and  the  half  of  which  we  had  taken. 
We  had  a  large  handsome  saloon,  painted  and  gilded,  with 
spacious  bed-chambers  adjoining,  all  looking  over  the  Gulf; 
then  a  grand  billiard  saloon,  with  dining  and  bed-rooms; 


PALAZZO    OLDUINI.  185 

while  above,  communicating  by  private  stairways,  were  a 
score  of  rooms  for  servants  and  stores,  with  a  magnificent 
kitchen,  big  enough  for  a  picture  gallery.  All  this  space 
with  linen,  china,  lamps  and  silver,  carpets,  fireplaces,  and 
comfortable  furniture,  made  up  a  very  pleasant  residence. 

In  truth,  there  is  an  air  of  imposing  grandeur  which  clings 
around  the  fine  old  palaces  of  Italy — no  matter  where  they 
are  to  be  found,  whether  in  the  Corso  at  Rome,  the  Arno  at 
Florence,  or  in  the  decaying  little  towns  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean— which,  added  to  their  solidity,  their  ancestral  associa- 
tions, the  veneration  they  are  still  regarded,  notwithstanding 
the  wreck  of  their  former  splendor,  by  the  lower  orders,  all 
tends  to  impress  you  with  a  feeling  of  respect,  which  no 
mere  mushroom  palatial  gem  of  the  present  day  can  inspire. 

A  broad  and  long  terrace  ran  the  entire  length  of  the 
rooms  facing  the  sea,  of  the  Olduini,  and  the  view  was 
enchanting.  It  embraced  the  whole  sweep  of  the  gulf  from 
point  to  point,  while  to  the  east  arose  the  sharp  peaks  of  the 
Carrara  mountains,  tipped  with  snow,  even  in  midsummer, 
and  at  our  feet  lay  ranges  of  pretty  gardens,  fenced  in  by  the 
ancient  sea-wall  of  the  city,  clustering  with  lime  and  orange 
groves,  whose  spheres  of  golden  fruit  contrasted  with  the 
rich  green  foliage  of  the  leaves. 

After  getting  installed  into  our  new  lodgings,  our  first 
trial  was  for  servants.  In  this  strait,  however,  we  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  engage  an  old  lady  named  Teresa,  for  cook. 
Then  there  was  the  pretty  bride  of  my  man,  Angelo,  for 
maid,  and  a  small,  hump-backed  dependent  of  hers,  who  was 
taken  at  a  mere  song,  for  the  express  purpose  of  carrying  up 


186  SCAMPAVIAB. 

copper  kettles  of  water  on  her  head,  washing  marble  stair- 
cases, and  other  work  which  came  in  her  way.  This  small 
retinue,  in  addition  to  our  little  American  nurse,  made  up  the 
household,  until  a  little  stranger  came  upon  us,  and  then  we 
hired  another  healthy,  handsome  young  married  woman, 
named  Mirandola. 

On  the  score  of  beauty  alone — leaving  the  venerable  Teresa 
out  of  the  gallery — our  collection  were  chef  d'oeuvres  of  the 
modern  living  Italian  school.  We  at  first  had  fears  lest 
our  native  domestics — like  the  pilfering  race  elsewhere 
in  Italy — might  rob  us  of  stray  articles  of  stores  or  o.ther 
treasures,  but  after  considerable  experience,  we  became 
entirely  convinced  that — with  the  exception  of  pretty  Marina 
and  Humpy — the  rest  were  perfectly  faithful,  virtuous  and 
honest.  As  for  this  last  named  donna,  she  was  much  too 
coquettish  to  keep,  and  she  one  day  gave  place  to  the  sister  of 
Mirandola,  a  beautiful  young  girl  named  Argentina. 

As  a  caution  to  foreigners  begining  a  menage  in  Italy,  I 
would  advise  them  to  employ  servants  who  are  not  amiably 
disposed  towards  their  family  outside  the  house,  or  if  the 
reverse  be  the  case,  to  encourage  if  possible,  the  bitterest 
animosity,  since  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  this  state  of  feel- 
ing will  in  the  end  save  a  deal  of  cold  viands  and  light 
articles  suitable  for  transportation. 

The  household  expenses  were  regulated  like  a  clock — or 
rather  much  better  than  the  clocks  pertaining  to  the  palazzo, 
since  they  never  behaved  properly  for  even  an  hour.  At 
night  the  good  Teresa  came  with  her  report  upon  the 
state  of  the  market,  and  the  daily  exchequer.  Then  it  was 


DOMESTICS.  187 

all  jotted  down  in  a  little  book — a  perfect  tariff  of  fish,  chops, 
fruit,  and  vegetables.  Unlike  the  plan  adopted  in  our  own 
country,  the  servants  had  an  entirely  different  course  of 
living  from  that  which  we  enjoyed,  and  in  fact,  I  have  no 
question  but  that  they  preferred  their  own  taste  in  these  mat- 
ters, in  the  choice  of  their  simple  dishes,  than  to  partake  of 
the  richer  food  from  the  Padrone's  table. 

I  have  omitted  in  the  catalogue  of  servitors,  to  mention 
Luigi,  the  Portiere  of  the  Olduini  Mansion.  He  was  a 
splendid  old  fellow  of  seventy,  and  one  of  the  most  faithful, 
obliging,  and  affectionate  old  boys  in  the  world.  He  it  was 
who  held  the  keys  of  his  master's  magazines,  who  measured 
the  dues  paid  to  the  estate  in  kind,  and  who  was  a  living 
tradition  of  the  family  for  three  generations.  He  not  only 
slept  in  the  house,  and  not  only  was  to  be  found  at  any 
moment  in  any  part  of  the  immense  building,  from  cellar  to 
terrace,  but  his  ubiquity  was  so  wonderful,  that  a  whisper 
would  call  him  to  your  side  either  in  the  town,  suburbs,  or 
Apennines,  and  mayhap,  the  name  of  Luigi  would  summon 
him  to  the  bottom  of  the  gulf. 

The  high-steward  and  agent  for  the  estate  was  a  kind  old 
gentleman,  named  Carosini,  who  was  ever  ready  to  do  us  a 
service.  In  fact,  from  the  Marchesa  down,  we  soon  learned 
to  know  that  we  were  dealing  with  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and 
all  our  affairs  were  conducted  pleasantly. 

Spezia,  I  have  said,  is  but  a  quiet,  out  of  the  way  little 
place,  though  of  late  years  becoming  a  resort  for  pleasure- 
seeking  travellers — particularly  the  families  of  Russian  diplo- 
mates — for  the  wholesome  climate  and  pure  sea-bathing.  The 


188  ScAMPAVIAS. 

only  wonder  is,  that  these  elements  of  health  have  not  been 
discovered  before. 

There  are  few  excitements,  comparatively,  for  a  permanent 
residence,  and  very  little  society.  The  Queen  of  Sardinia, 
with  a  select  court,  and  her  children,  passed  one  season  there, 
during  our  stay,  which,  with  the  addition  of  a  battalion  of 
rifles  and  a  couple  of  steam  frigates,  and  a  brief  visit  from  the 
King,  made  the  place  quite  gay  and  attractive. 

The  Marchesa  Teresa  Doria  of  Genoa,  also,  has  a  fine  new 
palazzo  in  Spezia,  and  did  much  by  her  courtesy  and 
hospitality  to  enliven  the  time.  She  is  one  of  the  noblest 
women  that  Italy  or  any  other  country  ever  produced. 
Beautiful,  personally  and  morally ;  highly  cultivated  and 
accomplished,  and  endowed  with  a  princely  fortune,  her  only 
aim  seemed  to  be  to  aid  the  already  rapid  advancement  of 
liberal  constitutional  government  in  the  kingdom  of  Sardinia. 

Mr.  Charles  Lever,  too,  with  his  charming  family,  passed 
the  summer  in  Spezia.  He  talks  a  new  book  every  day  of 
his  life.  The  author  is  the  man  ;  and  whether  swimming  in 
ten  fathoms  water  at  Lerici ;  getting  capsized  in  a  boat ;  dri- 
ving tandem ;  playing  ^cartd  for  coppers ;  dancing  the 
mazourka;  speaking  all  languages  the  while,  or  singing  a 
song,  he  is,  par  excellence,  the  most  genial  soul  in  existence. 
It  is  indeed  rare  to  meet  a  gentleman  who  combines  so  much 
talent,  fun,  and  intelligence,  with  such  irresistible  social  quali- 
ties. Lever  made  a  tour  through  the  United  States  many 
years  ago,  but  I  feel  persuaded,  should  he  renew  the  visit,  his 
unpretending  talent  and  refined  manner  will  ensure  him  a 
welcome  equal  to  his  reputation  as  an  author. 


THE    CASINO.  189 

There  is  a  pretty  little  white  marble  theatre  in  Spezia, 
where  we  had  excellent  opera,  and  gay  ballets.  The  casino 
and  ball-room  were  in  the  same  edifice.  It  was  a  tidy  little 
club,  with  billards  and  a  reading-room  ;  where  some  two  or 
three  of  the  small  octavo  Italian  newspapers  were  taken  in, 
and  where  the  dignitaries  of  the  town  assembled  to  discuss 
the  affairs  of  Europe. 

At  all  times,  numbers  of  refugees  frequented  this  casino. 
They  were  generally  men  of  broken  fortunes,  who  had  escaped 
the  fangs  of  some  of  the  despotic  governments  of  the  Conti- 
nent, and  sought  refuge  in  Sardinia,  where  they  might  exist  in 
safety,  and  carve  out  new  and  endless  Utopian  schemes  for 
Italian  revolution.  I  always  regarded  them,  however,  as  very 
innocent,  and  perfectly  harmless  creatures,  and  marvelled  how 
King  Ferdinand,  or  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  paid  the  least 
attention  to  them.  We  played  whist  in  the  evenings  for  soldi 
or  sous,  and  once,  when  I  was  so  lucky  as  to  win  thirty  of 
those  coins  from  a  distinguished  baron,  he  left  town  the  next 
day,  forever  in  my  debt ! 

There  were  some  noble  examples,  however,  among  these 
gentry,  and  a  few  who  had  been  men  of  mark  and  honor  in 
the  modern  scenes  of  Italian  revolution  ;  who  had  stood  before 
the  iniquitous  courts  of  Naples,  beside  peorio,  and  Settem- 
brini ;  and  who  when  the  time  comes,  as  it  must,  will  play  a 
high  and  noble  game  for  the  regeneration  of  their  country. 


190  SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter    XVII. 

"  One  day  (quoth  he)  I  sat  (as  was  iny  trade) 
Under  the  foot  of  Mole,  that  mountain  hore, 
Keeping  my  sheepe  amongst  the  cooly  shade 
Of  the  green  alders  by  the  Mullaes  shore : 
There  a  strange  shepheard  chaunst  to  find  me  out, 
Whom  when  I  asked  from  what  place  he  came, 
And  how  he  hight,  himself  he  did  ycleepe 
The  Shepheard  of  the  Ocean  by  name, 
And  said  he  came  far  from  the  main  sea  deepe." 

"  A  table,  croyez  que  nos  peres 
N'enviaient  pas  le  sort  des  rois, 
Et  qu'au  fragile  eclat  des  verres 
Us  le  comparaient  quelquefois." 

Mariners    in    Minorca. 

"  MAKE  signal  for  the  San  Jacinto  to  be  ready  to  take  the 
tow-lines  at  one  o'clock." 

This  was  the  order  from  the  Frigate  to  our  consort — a 
long,  black  steamer,  that  was  always  breaking  her  piston-rods, 
or  bell-cranks,  or  smashing  her  cylinder-heads,  or  getting  the 
dash-pots  into  hot  water,  and  coming  into  port  with  temper- 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  191 

ary  plank  escape  pipes  to  be  continually  patched  up,  repaired, 
and  otherwise  made  to  go.  There  wasn't  a  harbor,  from 
Gibraltar  to  Trieste  in  the  Mediterranean,  where  she  had  not 
been  taken  apart,  put  together  again,  and  tinkered  up  gener- 
ally. She  was,  in  fact,  an  everlasting  steam  joke. 

Now,  there  is  a  deal  to  be  said  in  favor  of  paddling  loco- 
motion in  a  fine  war-steamer,  where  everything  plays  easily 
and  smoothly ;  and,  barring  the  permeating  dust  from  the 
coal  bunkers,  the  heat  from  those  volcanoes  of  furnaces,  and 
the  perfume  of  the  oiled  cotton  and  the  engine,  a  steamer  is 
not  a  bad  contrivance  to  plough  salt  water  in.  A  sailing 
vessel,  however,  is  the  cleanliest  and  tidiest,  and,  indeed,  for 
a  long  sea  residence,  many  unhappy  mariners  prefer  it ;  par- 
ticularly when  those  on  board  have  no  bother  with  the  ropes 
and  sails,  while  the  hawsers  are  taut  ahead  fast  to  a  steamer, 
tugging  you  against  wind  and  sea.  Then  it  is  all  fun  and  no 
work. 

So  it  was  with  us,  on  board  the  flag-ship,  as  we  hitched  on 
to  our  consort  and  drove  her  with  a  strong  rein  past  the 
island  of  Tino,  one  fine  November  afternoon. 

We  were  all  at  the  gun-room  mess,  devouring  soup,  pre- 
liminary to  dinner. 

The  Commissary,  R.  Peeteet,  U.  S.  N.,  who  looked  out  for 
our  cash  and  subsistence,  was  seated  at  the  foot  of  the  table. 
Surgeon  A.  A.  Archimedes  Franklin  Lint,  Lorimer,  Doctor 
Bristles,  Jack  Toker,  Washington  Mirrick,  Bimshaw,  Bays, 
and  a  lot  more  of  us  were  there.  All  tip-top  republicans, 
who  touched  the  pen,  and  drew  our  pay  regular  at  the  first 
of  every  month. 


192  SCAMPAVIAS. 

"  Anybody  tell  where  we're  bound  ?"  suggested  Lint.  He 
was  of  a  controversial  disposition,  and  fond  of  argumentation. 

"  Ask  the  Flag ;  he's  in  the  cabinet,"  said  Bimshaw. 

The  Flag,  however,  refused  to  open  his  lips,  save  for  okra 
soup. 

"Posey,"  ejaculated  Bays,  the  marine,  to  the  wine-boy, 
"  you  needn't  pass  the  lachryma  to  Mr.  Gringo  till  he  comes 
to  terms." 

"  Oh !  by  no  means,"  said  Bristles,  "  and  if  he  don't  make 
a  clean  breast  of  it,  won't.  I  fly-plaster  him  in  the  back,  when 
he  complains  of  the  lumbago  again." 

"  Come,  out  with  it,"  said  Toker,  authoritatively,  "  or  I'll 
order  the  cock-pit  bread-rooms  broke  out  this  afternoon,  and 
smother  you  in  bread  dust." 

The  Flag,  hereupon,  finding  the  mob  clamorous  against 
him,  struck  up  the  following  chant : 

"  Off  Cape  de  G-att,  I  lost  my  hat, 
And  where  do  you  think  I  found  it  ? 
In  Port  Mahon,  upon  a  stone" — 

The  concluding  line  of  this  stanza  was  suddenly  drowned 
in  a  tumult  of  groans  and  shrieks  from  both  sides  of  the 
mahogany. 

"  Port  Mahon !"  they  wailed.  "  Heaven  save  us !  Have 
we  been  broiled  in  Muscat,  stewed  in  Shanghai,  baked  in  the 
Piraeus,  and  roasted  in  Rio  and  Benin,  and  now  to  be  mil- 
dewed in  old  Mahon,  and  fed  on  red-legged  partridges,  and 
our  thirst  quenched  with  monkey  soups !  O  !  wirra,  wirra !" 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  First  Luff,  with  a  pleasant  frown, 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  193 

"  howling  is  contrary  to  regulation.  We  should  be  patriotic, 
and  go  where  duty  calls  us,  without  a  murmur.  Glass  of 
wine  with  you,  Purser  ?" 

Purser  Peeteet  was  the  only  member  of  the  mess  who 
seemed  to  be  indifferent  as  to  where  the  frigate  went,  so  long 
as  she  had  water  under  her  keel.  He  merely  muttered,  as  he 
plunged  the  carving-knife  through  the  side  bone  of  a  walnut- 
stuffed  turkey : 

"  If  this  meeting  have  any  observations  to  make,  they  had 
better  organize ;  yes,  sir,  organize,  draw  up  resolutions  and 
reduce  them  to  form — to  form,  sir,  instead  of  raising  all  this 
riot." 

The  conversation,  after  this  reproof,  became  more  subdued 
and  general ;  and  with  the  delicious  music  of  La  Favorita 
floating  over  our  heads  on  the  gun-deck,  we  resigned  ourselves 
to  dessert  and  Port  Mahon  in  perspective.  Moreover,  the 
frigate,  without  canvas  to  steady  her,  was  beginning  to  roll 
and  wallow  in  a  very  undignified  manner ;  and  not  caring  to 
slide  about  the  gun-room,  I  went  to  the  upper  deck. 

After  struggling  through  the  waves,  all  night,  close  beside 
the  high  mountainous  coast,  at  daylight  we  were  tugged  into 
Genoa,  where  we  dropped  anchor,  and  remained  a  day  or  two. 

In  the  evening,  Mirrick  and  I,  after  flanering  about  the 
Strada  Nuova,  paused  at  the  book-shops,  dipped  into  a  French 
bazaar,  where  we  bought  bogus  jewelry  for  the  natives  of 
Minorca,  took  coffee  with  some  of  our  officer  friends  of  the 
Sardinian  Bersiglieri,  and  finally  procured  our  entradas  to 
the  magnificent  white  marble  opera-house  of  Carlos  the 
Happy. 

9 


194  SOAMPAVIAS. 

The  season  had  not  fairly  commenced  for  good  music, 
and  we  were  only  regaled  with  a  miserable  buffa  opera,  which 
set  us  off  to  sleep.  Between  the  acts,  however,  we  had  a 
beautiful  ballet,  and  then  the  Persiani — not  the  divine  artiste 
of  that  name,  but  a  lot  of  jugglers  from  Persia.  They  per- 
formed  all  sorts  of  feats — such  as  sticking  their  heads  on  the 
floor,  and  galloping  around  that  part  of  their  system  with 
their  legs,  then  putting  their  feet  in  their  waistcoat  pockets, 
and  jumping  about  like  unto  crickets  on  their  knee-joints. 
One  descendant  of  the  Prophet  ran  with  great  celerity  up  a 
long  pole,  and  tried  to  pull  it  up  after  him,  but  failed  misera- 
bly and  came  down  on  his  back,  to  the  disgust  of  the  specta- 
tors. Mirrick  and  I  were  diverted,  however,  and  even  A.  A. 
Franklin  Lint,  who  had  joined  us  in  the  parquet,  found  leisure, 
during  his  struggles  of  winking  at  that  beautiful  Condessa  up 
there  in  the  boxes — who  had  fallen  desperately  in  love  with 
him  through  his  lorgnette — to  be  amused,  also. 

The  following  afternoon,  under  the  hempen  wings  of  our 
wig-wagging  consort,  we  turned  our  faces  from  Genoa,  and, 
in  twenty-four  hours  after,  we  rounded  the  bluff  promontory 
of  La  Mola — the  eastern  cape  of  Minorca — and  stood  up  the 
narrow  inlet  to  Port  Mahon. 

All  the  world  knows  that  Port  Mahon  is  the  finest  harbor 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Mighty  fleets  can  repose  with  per- 
fect safety  within  its  land-locked  arms,  as  they  have  for  scores 
and  scores  of  years,  from  the  time  of  the  Druids,  down  to  the 
bloody  wars  on  water,  of  the  English,  French,  and  Spaniards. 

The  entrance  is  as  narrow,  proportionally,  as  the  neck  is  to 
a  flask  of  champagne  The  shores  are  bold  ;  and  the  water 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  195 

deep  enough  for  the  greatest  Leviathan  ever  built.  On  the 
left,  as  you  enter,  stand  the  remains  of  the  strong  fortress  of 
Saint  Philip ;  its  long  and  irregular  lines,  where  cannon  once 
frowned,  are  now  in  ruins ;  the  vast  excavations,  where,  in 
times  past,  two  thousand  horse  were  stabled,  with  huge  bomb- 
proof magazines  and  interminable  subterranean  galleries,  now 
a  confused  mass  of  stones  and  rubbish. 

In  a  word,  this  great  castle  was  blown  up,  according  to  the 
treaty  of  Amiens,  in  June,  1802,  when  it  was  given  up  to 
Spain.  But  had  the  officer  in  command  waited  for  his  dupli- 
cate instructions,  which  countermanded  the  first  orders,  Eng- 
land would  have  proved  recreant  to  her  plighted  word,  as  she 
did  with  Malta,  Cape  Town,  and  Pondicherry,  and  still  kept 
her  lion's  paw  on  Minorca.*  These  facts  are  matters  of  his- 
tory. Nevertheless,  Minorca  must,  for  all  time,  be  a  bone  of 
contention  between  France  and  England.  It  is  midway 
between  Gibraltar  and  Malta,  and  a  half-way  house  from 
France  to  her  possessions  in  Algeria.  It  is  positively  essen- 
tial to  France,  and  there  is  not  a  doubt  in  my  mind — though 
I  have  never  peeped  into  the  secret  archives  of  the  French 
embassy  at  Madrid — that  Louis  Napoleon  had  resolved  to 

*  Minorca  was  taken  by  the  English  in  1708,  in  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession, 
by  General  Stanhope,  to  whom  it  gave  the  title  of  Lord  Mahon.  In  1758,  Admiral 
Byng  haying  failed  to  relieve  the  island,  it  was  captured  by  the  French  and  held 
until  1763,  when  at  the  Peace  of  Paris  it  was  restored  to  the  English.  At  this  period 
a  large  emigration  went  to  East  Florida,  where  their  descendants  are  now  numerous. 
In  1782,  Mahon  was  retaken  by  the  Spaniards,  but  in  1798,  again  reduced  by  the 
English.  At  the  Peace  of  Amiens,  in  1802,  it  was  finally  ceded  to  Spain.  The  reason 
of  this  last  evacuation,  is  explained  by  a  letter  from  A.  Vails,  Consul  des  Pays  Bas, 
published  in  1844. 


196  SOAMPAVIAS. 

seize  the  island  in  May,  1852  ;  but  John  Bull  got  wind  of 
the  design,  and  Admiral  Dundas  hovered  about  the  place 
with  seven  ships  of  the  line,  until  the  French  Dictator  turned 
his  attention  to  affairs  in  the  Orient.  The  Spaniards  them- 
selves, however,  after  nearly  half  a  century  of  inaction,  have, 
at  last,  begun  in  earnest  to  put  the  port  in  a  state  of  de- 
fense. 

By  treaty,  Spain  cannot  restore  Saint  Philip,  but  she  has 
chosen  a  far  better  position,  and  on  the  shelving  ascent  of  La 
Mola  she  is  rapidly  rearing  a  great  series  of  fortifications, 
which  not  only  protect  the  approaches  from  the  sea,  but  com- 
mand the  harbor  itself.  It  will  be  all  useless,  however,  for 
France  must  have  the  island,  sooner  or  later,  whatever  the 
cost  in  blood  or  treasure  may  be. 

After  passing  within  pistol  shot  of  Saint  Philip — and  mark 
well  those  white  clusters  of  tomb-stones  which  meet  your  gaze, 
for  beneath  lies  the  dust  of  many  a  gallant  English  soldier  and 
sailor  who  fell  in  the  French  war — along  the  starboard  hand 
stretches  the  Lazaretto,  the  grandest  of  all  Spain. 

It  was  here,  in  this  enormous  enclosure  of  buildings,  that 
the  great  commerce  of  Spain  coming  from  the  Indies  was  sent 
for  purification,  and  to  ride  out  long  quarantines  of  many 
months'  duration.  Howard  and  other  wise  philanthropists 
have  done  much  to  change  these  absurd  laws,  but  many  still 
exist  to  annoy  and  delay  the  rushing  tide  of  commerce. 
Further  on,  by  the  same  side,  is  "  Horsepittle  "  Island,  as 
Jack  calls 4ft,  and  to  the  left  is  the  decayed  town  of  San  Car- 
los, or,  as  the  English  have  christened  it,  Georgetown,  after 
the  third  Rex  of  that  name,  whose  amiable  domestic  traits  of 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  197 

character  we  read  such  pleasant  accounts  of  in  the  Memoirs 
of  Madame  D'Arblay. 

Continuing  on,  the  harbor  expands  into  a  circle,  and  then 
closes  upon  a  narrow  oblong  basin,  with  the  city  of  Mahon 
looking  into  it,  from  the  hills  on  the  left,  and  over  the  Royal 
Arsenal  on  the  right. 

As  the  Frigate  moved  slowly  and  silently  over  the 
water,  nearly  rubbing  her  black  wales  against  the  salient 
points  of  the  harbor,  the  natives  came  running  from  all  direc- 
tions to  welcome  us.  Old  Pons,  the  pilot,  and  his  son  Pon- 
tius were  already  on  board,  and  shook  us  all  as  heartily  by 
the  flippers  as  if  it  were  only  last  week  he  had  parted  with  us. 
As  a  general  rule,  nobody  dies  in  Mahon,  and  Pons  senior  had 
piloted  Nelson,  Collingwood,  Decatur,  and  hosts  of  other 
heroes,  in  and  out  the  port,  many  a  time. 

Jack  Toker,  trumpet  in  hand,  with  his  second-best  swabs 
and  gold-laced  trowsers  on,  was  standing  on  the  horseblock, 
giving  a  rapid  glance  aloft,  to  see  that  the  sails  were  properly 
rolled  up  in  the  gaskets,  the  running  gear  taut,  and  every- 
thing ship-shape,  as  it  always  was  in  that  fine  Frigate.  Lieu- 
tenant Marquand  was  on  the  forecastle,  perfectly  cool  and 
impassible,  with  the  triggers  all  set  to  let  the  anchors  go  at  a 
moment's  notice.  The  boatswain  was  looking  out  for  the 
tow-lines  to  the  steamer ;  and  Mr.  Patrick  Bee,  the  carpenter, 
was  very  busy  in  the  waist,  getting  the  accommodation-lad- 
ders ready  to  go  over  the  side.  Albeit,  there  was  not  a  word 
spoken  in  the  tops,  nor  a  murmur  about  the  decks,  as  the 
stately  ship  moved  on. 

Presently  we  came  abreast  of  the  point  of  Galifiguera  Bay, 


193  SCAMPAVIAS. 

and  there  was  congregated  a  dense  mass  of  the  population 
Evidently  the  town  was  taking  a  holiday — principally  of  the 
softer  sex,  however — and  there  they  thronged  in  their  striped 
calico  dresses,  gay  kerchiefs,  and  shining  black  hair,  dancing 
with  delight. 

"Now  is  kum  de  Amerikene  sheeps,''  they  screamed.  I 
must  parenthesize  here  that  the  Mahon  lingo  or  patois  is  a 
jabbering  admixture  of  Spanish,  Dutch,  Arabic,  Choctaw, 
French,  Moorish,  Portuguese,  and,  in  short,  a  little  bit  of 
every  dialect  under  the  sun.  And  all  talk  a  sort  of  English 
with  a  most  peculiar  tone  and  accent. 

"  I  say,  Bill,"  one  would  cry,  waving  a  belcher,  to  some 
trim-built  sailor,  stationed  in  the  tops,  "  how  de  do !  kum 
'shore  to-morrow,  sell  jacket,  go  'board,  take  you  dozen  like 
a  man." 

"  Hola!  Jiminee,  no  forget  me;  plentee  turpentine  gin  in 
de  old  grog-shop." 

"  Sargente,"  another  would  yell  to  a  dignified  marine  in  the 
gangway,  "  you  offisar  now,  I  kum  take  care  de  mess-kettle 
when  de  sheep  kum  to  anker." 

Nor  were  these  friendly  offers  entirely  addressed  to  the 
crew  ;  for  suddenly,  as  the  ship  turned  towards  the  anchorage, 
a  venerable  old  lady  burst  out  with — 

"  Santa  Maria !  Oh,  my  !  Toker — shugar  candee — I  ole 
Teresa — me  know  you  wen  you  leetel  reefar  in  short  jackette  ; 
poor  ole  gale  now  ;  givee  de  clothes  to  wash." 

"  Stand  clear  the  port  anchor ;  cast  off  the  hawsers  from 
the  steamer,"  came  in  a  sharp  note  from  the  trumpet.  "  Let 
go  the  anchor,"  followed. 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  199 

The  San  Jacinto  gave  a  long  and  satisfied  sigh  from  her 
steam-pipe,  the  cable  rattled  out,  and,  as  the  ship  swung  to 
her  birth,  we  lost  sight  of  our  gay  friends  on  the  shore. 

We  found  our  whole  squadron  at  anchor,  and  nothing  could 
exce-  the  enthusiasm  of  the  natives.  They  seemed  to  indulge 
in  the  belief  that  we  had  come  to  pass  the  remainder  of  our 
lives  with  them,  and  make  the  port  a  permanent  rendezvous, 
as  in  the  olden  time. 

There  was  some  doubt,  however,  whether  their  rulers  in 
old  Spain  would  subscribe  to  this  hospitality,  since  our 
filibuster  demonstrations  upon  Cuba  had  rather  lessened 
their  national  love  for  us.  Indeed,  they  as  much  as  told 
us  so ;  but  they  based  the  refusal  upon  the  ground  that 
France  and  England  took  umbrage  to  granting  any  more 
facilities  to  us  than  to  them.  The  thing  was  done  courteously, 
but  decidedly;  for  there  are  no  such  polite  people  in  the 
world — on  paper — as  your  pure,  blue-blooded  Hidalgos. 

The  ships  were,  in  a  moment,  surrounded  by  boats — 
remarkably  clean,  well-built  little  vessels  they  are,  too — filled 
with  our  numerous  friends.  I  think  I  have  observed  that  no 
one  dies  in  Mahon.  What  with  mildew,  damp,  and  olive 
oil,  they  become  moist  and  saturated,  and  thus  endure  for- 
ever. 

Now,  there  was  old  Nancy,  eighty-four  years  of  age  last 
week.  She  married  an  English  sergeant  of  marines,  by  whom 
she  had  two  sons.  The  entire  family  were  on  board  Nelson's 
flag-ship,  the  Victory,  at  Trafalgar.  Her  husband  and  sons 
were  killed  early  in  the  battle.  Nancy  took  their  places 
at  the  guns,  as  they  fell,  and  received,  for  her  share  of  the 


200  SOAMPAVIAS. 

damages,  five  musket-balls  in  her  body — I  have  seen  with 
these  eyes  the  scars  of  some  of  them — was  knocked  overboard 
by  a  splinter,  floated  about  on  a  spar,  for  hours,  and  was 
finally  picked  up  by  a  French  boat,  and  carried  to  France. 
For  all  this  she  receives  a  small  pension  from  the  English 
government,  and  ekes  out  a  tolerable  existence  on  eleemosy- 
nary soup  and  biscuit  from  foreign  ships  of  war. 

Then  there  was  John  Porpoise — nobody  can  ever  dream 
how  old  he  is ;  but  he  is  the  Nestor  of  Mahon  boatmen,  and 
has  raised  a  large  shoal  of  young  Porpoises,  now  old,  who 
have  taken  to  boats  as  naturally  as  crocodiles  shed  tears. 
The  number  of  reefers  he  has  smuggled  on  shore  on  u  French 
leave,"  of  dark  nights,  and  the  aggregate  of  tipsy  sailors  he 
has  brought  off,  defies  all  arithmetical  calculation.  John 
Porpoise,  however,  is  universally  beloved. 

But  who  have  we  here  ?  This  rosy-faced,  huge-paunched 
old  fellow,  rolling  slowly  up  the  ladder.  Ah  !  that  is  Jimmy 
Huot,  a  soldier  of  Austerlitz,  the  expertest  master  of  small- 
sword fence,  in  his  prime,  the  emperor  had  in  his  grand  army. 
He  keeps  the  fond  a  of  the  Cuatro  Na9iones,  at  the  corner  of 
Castle  street,  a  time-honored  institution.  He  has  charming- 
daughters,  too,  of  whom  more  anon,  and  his  books  are 
inscribed  with  the  names  of  many  of  the  most  famous  men 
— for  paying  their  debts — in  the  navies  of  Christendom. 

There  is  good  Johnny  Cacho,  too — the  shape  of  an  oil-jar — 
whom  we  all  embrace  heartily  ;  for  it  is  his  truthful  boast, 
that  "  Cacho  was  nevvar  hard  on  de  midshipmites." 

'4  Ho !  Gilibert,  my  prince  of  patent  leather,  how  are  you  ?" 

'•'  Guapo !"  says  Crispin,  "  only  de  ole  pane  in  chist,  gemmel- 


MARINERS  IN  MINORCA.     201 

men ;  can't  stop  in  dis  world  mush  more."  At  this,  we  all 
shout  with  laughter,  and  Bays,  the  marine,  pokes  his  fist 
sharply  into  the  staunch  ribs  of  Gilibert.  For  be  it  known, 
that  the  pain  had  been  in  our  chests,  and  Gilibert,  who  has, 
more  or  less,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  cultivated  a  taste  for 
corns  in  generations  of  the  navy,  was  wont  to  get  up  reports 
of  his  rapidly-approaching  dissolution ;  send  off  his  "  leeteel 
beels "  to  the  ships,  and  delude  us  into  paying  them,  under 
the  belief,  as  it  were,  that  he  was  a  dead  man — thus  taking 
advantage  of  our  necessities,  and  then  coming  to  robust  life 
again,  pegging  away  at  his  boots  and  shoes,  so  soon  as  the 
accounts  were  settled. 

Gilibert  gave  place  to  Guillermo  Pons,  of  veinte  uno,  Calle 
Nuevo,  with  a  large  sack  of  navy  caps  slung  over  his  shoulder. 
Then  came  Pedro  Orfilia,  the  dandy  tailor,  own  brother  to 
Earn  of  that  name,  who  had  seventeen  children,  and  a 
pension  from  the  queen  of  Spain  for  those  exploits.  He  was 
followed  by  Pratz,  of  pale  sherry  notoriety,  forty  years  in 
cask,  with  so  immense  a  progeny,  that,  after  exhausting 
the  Christian  vocabulary,  he  began  upon  the  days  of  the 
week,  and  ended  by  designating  his  infants  by  Roman 
numerals.  Poor  Pratz,  he  made  an  unfortunate  speculation 
some  twenty  years  ago,  in  buying  a  large  cargo  of  soap 
for  the  squadron,  which  has  preyed  upon  his  mind  ever  since ; 
for  the  government  took  to  furnishing  that  article,  and  Pratz 
was  as  good  as  ruined.  He,  nevertheless,  never  failed  to 
inquire  if  soap  was  wanted,  and  always  remarked,  in  a  com- 
plimentary vein,  "  The  sheep  look  veree  fine  to-day." 

The  only  worthy  we  missed  in  this  assemblage,  was  old 

9* 


203 


S  O  AMPA  V  IAS. 


Paul,  the  gambling  priest,  who  used  to  follow  the  squadrons 
all  over  the  Mediterranean,  and  whether  we  went  to  Gibral- 
tar or  Vourla — all  the  same  to  Paul — he  was  always  on  the 
spot  to  open  his  little  game  of  monte'. 


THIS   IS  PKATZ    AND   JAOU!:i>    IltTOT. 


All  the  rest  of  these  good  people  came  to  see  us,  and 
though  some  of  them,  perhaps,  had  been  the  cause  of  bring- 
ing many  an  imprudent  fellow  to  a  court-martial,  put  back 
in  his  date,  or  cashiered,  and  so  forth,  yet  the  fault  was  not 
altogether  on  one  side. 

In  many  respects,  Port  Mahon  possesses  very  great  ad  van- 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  203 

tages  for  refitting  men-of-war,  and  for  their  security  in  tem- 
pestuous weather ;  yet,  in  other  essentials,  it  is,  perhaps,  the 
worst  place  for  a  rendezvous  in  the  Mediterranean.  Mahon  has 
bred  more  demoralization  amongst  our  navy  than  any  other 
port  on  the  globe.  There  are  not,  in  fact,  any  rational  enjoy- 
ments to  be  found  in  the  place,  for  officers  or  crews ;  and,  in 
former  times,  when  our  ships  lay  here  many  months  in  the 
year,  the  town  was  kept  in  one  continual  scene  of  riot  and 
low  dissipation.  The  sailors  besotted  themselves  in  low, 
drunken  haunts  of  Rough-alley  street,  and  the  officers,  who 
rarely  mingled  in  the  quiet  and  respectable  island  society, 
keeled  over  the  miserable  Mahon  sogers  who  interfered  with 
their  frolics,  kicked  up  rows  at  the  masquerades  or  fandan- 
gos, and  ruined  themselves  at  monte.  Many  a  hasty  quarrel, 
too,  brought  about  by  these  wild  nightly  revels,  caused  early 
excursions  the  next  morning  to  the  "  Golden  Farm,"  or 
"  Hospital  Island,"  where  ten  paces  and  a  brace  of  pistols  not 
unfrequently  gave  the  surgeons  and  carpenters  the  opportu- 
nity of  exercising  their  professional  skill. 

Aside  from  all  this,  the  place  is  isolated  from  the  conti- 
nent, there  is  no  regular  mail  communication,  and  revolu- 
tion or  war  might  flame  forth  over  all  Europe,  and  no  one  in 
Mahon  be  a  whit  the  wiser. 

The  gulf  of  Spezia,  on  the  other  hand,  comprises  all  the 
advantages  of  Port  Mahon,  with  few,  if  any,  of  the  objections. 
At  our  rendezvous  there,  we  have  ample  range  for  target- 
practice  with  the  great  guns,  good  fresh  water,  the  use  of 
vast  magazines  for  stores  and  hospital,  and  the  mail  every 
day,  to  say  nothing  of  the  extreme  liberality  evinced  by  the 


204:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

kingdom  of  Sardinia,  in  affording  all  these  facilities,  free  of 
charge,  to  our  navy. 

But  we  must  go  on  shore.  We  can  look  at  the  town  as 
we  pull  slowly  up  the  inner  harbor.  It  is  on  the  left,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  water,  and  faced  by  a 
precipitous  natural  wall,  and  looking  down  upon  the  low 
tiled  sheds  and  public  offices  which  fringe  the  quays.  The 
north  side  of  the  harbor,  from  Mola  up,  is  a  rolling  succession 
of  low  hills,  tufted  with  scrub-oaks  and  brambles  ;  while,  on 
the  Saint  Philip  side,  the  land  is  laid  out  in  cultivated  fields 
of  grain,  intersected  by  loose  stone  fences,  and  sprinkled 
about  with  a  multitude  of  whirling  windmills.  Away  to  the 
west,  in  the  distance,  rises  the  conical  eminence  of  Mount 
Toro,  the  highest  point  of  Minorca. 

We  land  anywhere,  between  a  little  cluster  of  feluccas, 
coasters  from  Algiers,  Majorca,  or  Barcelona,  which  lie  prow 
on  to  the  quay,  with  their  picturesque  lateen  sails  brailed  up 
in  graceful  festoons  on  the  long,  bending  yards. 

We  are  assailed,  at  the  same  time,  by  an  aroma  of  salt 
fish,  jerked  beef,  and  garlic,  and  feel  a  damp  sensation,  arising 
from  the  porous,  soft  tufo  formation  of  the  island,  as  we  turn 
up  a  paved  causeway  to  the  upper  town.  Five  minutes'  toil 
of  legs  does  the  business,  and  here  we  are  fairly  in  old  Mahon. 

Mark  how  scrupulously  clean  and  white  are  the  houses — 
whitewashed  in  and  out — the  streets,  also,  with  sharp  pave- 
ments of  pebbles,  nearly  all  whitewashed.  These  good 
Mahonese  have  a  love  and  devotion  for  whitewash  quite 
unexampled  in  modern  history.  In  less  civilized  regions, 
people  take  delight  in  music,  painting,  books,  scenery  and 


MARINERS    IN    MINORCA.  205 

the  like,  but  here  they  enjoy  themselves  in  whitewash.  A 
Mahonese  may  exist  with  very  little  food,  drink,  and  rai- 
ment, but  then  he  must  be  recompensed  with  whitewash. 

In  passing  through  many  of  these  silent  streets,  the  clean, 
shroud-like  appearance  of  the  windowless  houses,  with  narrow 
doorways,  presents  the  idea  of  an  immense  cemetery  of 
upright  vaults,  and  it  is  easy  to  believe  they  are  all  crowded 
with  whitewashed  ghosts.  In  fact,  whitewash  is  part  of  the 
Mahon  religion.  No  one  exists  without  a  pot  of  whitewash, 
and,  to  paint  with  that  compound,  their  artistic  energies  are 
continually  called  into  play. 

We  come  to  little  plazas  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cathedral 
— what  quiet  reigns  around !  See  how  silent  and  desolate 
are  those  fine,  substantial  dwellings,  which  were  reared  by 
the  island  grandees  in  their  days  of  wealth  and  pride.  Alas, 
faded,  faded  away !  In  those  prosperous  times,  the  rich  com- 
merce of  Spain  arid  her  colonies  came  here  for  pratique ;  the 
combined  fleets  of  Europe  wintered  here ;  money  was 
reckoned  by  golden  ounces ;  but  now,  the  population,  with 
all  their  prudence  and  industry,  are  miserably  poor ;  and  a 
Mahon  fortune  is  a  peseta  a  day  and  a  jackass — the  latter 
regarded  as  an  hereditary  appanage  to  a  family. 

Yet,  in  recent  years,  a  decided  improvement  has  taken 
place  in  Mahon,  which  is  attributable  to  the  advent  of  a 
considerable  division  of  the  royal  army — a  brigade  of  infantry 
and  two  battalions  of  engineers,  occupied  in  constructing  the 
fortifications  of  La  Mola.  Fine  troops  they  were,  and  in  all 
their  field  duty  and  evolutions,  I  never  saw  better.  They 
were  well  officered,  too,  by  carefully-trained  and  educated 


206  SOAMPAVIAS. 

men.  This  army,  of  itself,  gave  employment  and  money  to 
the  needy  population.  There  is,  beside,  a  good  casino,  with 
newspapers  and  billiards  to  while  away  the  time. 

But  hold  !  it  is  high  noon.  We  saunter  down  the  Calle  de 
Castillo — Castle-street — stop  to  see  our  old  acquaintances,  the 
"  shell  girls,"  with  their  pretty  mute  sister ;  look  at  the  com- 
plex encrustations  of  marine  cowries,  snails,  and  what  not, 
stuck  over  work-boxes ;  or  shelly  floral  fabrics,  under  glass 
shades,  to  decorate  the  mantels  of  sailor  boarding-houses. 
We  then  sally  out,  and  shake  fins  with  all  the  shoemakers 
and  tailors,  pause  at  the  little  shops,  and  inquire  how  every- 
body does.  We  say  guapo,  ourselves,  in  return  to  these 
salutations,  and  so  continue  our  walk. 

We  reach  the  end  of  the  street  at  the  Georgetown  road. 
There  we  behold  our  ancient  steeds,  all  ready  caparisoned 
and  numbered  on  the  saddle-cloths  according  to  special 
police  regulation,  with  boys  yelling  forth  their  biographies 
beside  them,  as  they  implore  us  to  mount,  for  the  small  sum 
of  "half  a  dollar."  There  stands  Number  12.  We  recog- 
nize that  stallion  of  yore.  He  is  a  wonderful  brute,  and  own 
brother  to  the  charger  of  Mazeppa.  He  has  the  happy  and 
sportive  faculty  of  taking  an  equestrian  sailor  just  so  far  out 
of  town  as  he,  the  beast,  chooses ;  and  then,  in  defiance  of 
whip  or  steel,  suddenly  wheeling  round,  bolting  down  the 
harbor  road  by  Jack  Straw's  castle,  pitching  his  rider,  by  a 
process  peculiarly  his  own,  into  the  water,  or  knocking  his 
knees  out  of  joint  by  running  against  the  old  guns  planted 
muzzle  up  on  the  quay.  I  would  caution  imprudent  mariners 
to  steer  clear  of  No.  12. 


MAEINEKS    IN    MINORCA.          207 

Well,  on  our  return,  we  meet  lots  of  pretty  young  damsels 
on  their  way  to  their  little  white-washed  homes  from  work, 
to  enjoy  the  frugal  olla  of  cabbage  and  sausage  soup.  See 
what  magnificent  raven  tresses  they  have,  and  how  smooth 
and  glossy  as  satin  it  is  banded  over  their  olive  brows  and 
dark,  flashing  eyes,  beneath  those  gay  kerchiefs.  But  these 
doncjellas  are  damp,  Madam !  aye,  all  damp !  It  gives  one 
cold  to  look  at  them.  Yet  they  are  gay  and  graceful ;  for, 
mark  you,  every  one  of  them  is  as  free  of  corsets  and  whale- 
bone as  an  antelope,  and  they  can  raise  their  arms  high 
above  their  heads :  actually,  I  have  seen  the  thing  done  more 
times  than  you  can  count. 

We  turn  round  the  corner,  and  pay  a  visit  to  Senora 
Leocadia.  She  is  the  most  influencial  politician  in  Mahon. 
The  municipal  junta  would  as  soon  think  of  discussing  a 
question  without  Leo's  sanction,  as  to  go  without  paper  cigars 
before  breakfast,  or  petition  for  the  restoration  of  the  Holy 
Inquisition.  If  an  appeal  is  to  be  made  for  an  extra  mule  to 
the  mail  from  Ciudadella — which  goes  once  a  month — to  the 
Captain  General,  Leo  draws  it  up.  If,  perchance,  a  poor  fel- 
low is  drafted  for  the  army,  or  the  duties  to  be  remitted  on  a 
pound  or  two  of  snuff,  why  Leo  points  to  the  Royal  Court  of 
Spain,  and  the  matter  is  accomplished. 

In  short,  Leo  is  a  very  sensible  woman,  and  knows  exactly 
how  much  sugar  on  the  tongue  and  salt  on  the.  tail  a  biped 
needs,  to  be  coaxed,  or  driven  in  the  right  direction. 

We  chat  awhile  with  our  friend,  and  then  as  we  rise  to  go, 
she  says  "Hola!  you  'ave  not  seen  my  laces  yet.  Must  come 
up  stairs."  There  we  see  spread  before  us  the  delicate  webs 


208  SOAMPAVIAS. 

of  mantillas,  veils,  mits  and  scarfs — not  so  elegant  or  rich  as 
those  of  Barcelona — but  still  very  pretty  and  serviceable. 

"  This,"  says  Leo,  as  she  waves  a  mass  of  fluttering  flounces 
before  our  inexperienced  optics,  "  this  belong  to  very  old 
Spanis'  family,  but  very  poor  now,  must  sell  him,  how  buti- 
ful !  eh  !  only  haf  an  ounce,  the  vara.  But  mira  /"  she  goes 
on,  while  throwing  a  graceful  mantilla  over  her  shoulders, 
"  this,  worked  by  Tonia  Mendez,  most  pretty  girl  in  Mahou, 
made  to  order,  by  Lady  Dundas  last  year,  but  s'pose  you  like 
it,  you  take  it  ?" 

We  make  our  purchases  of  Leo,  and  then  step  into  the 
Cuatro  Na^iones,  where  we  refresh  with  a  monkey  soup — a 
compound  of  rum,  Mahon  wine,  milk  and  sugar,  which,  after 
a  little  practice,  you  will  not  find  hard  to  take — and  then  we 
hobble  down  the  steep  causeways  again  to  the  harbor,  and  so 
go  on  board  ship. 


EL    CUATRO    NA    TONES.  209 


Chapter    XVIII. 

El   Cuatro   Naciones. 

THE  frigate  remained  for  some  weeks  at  Mahon  on  the  first 
visit,  and  the  following  winter  a  much  longer  period ;  when 
she  was  hauled  alongside  the  arsenal,  the  crew  placed  in  bar- 
racks on  shore,  and  a  general  overhaul  of  rigging  and  stowage 
went  on,  so  as  to  bring  the  ship  out  bright  and  trim  in  the 
spring. 

On  the  last  occasion,  with  my  friend,  Mirrick,  who  occupied 
the  adjacent  berth  to  mine,  in  the  cock-pit,  we  arranged  to 
take  up  our  quarters  in  the  town. 

Though  there  are  whole  streets  of  rooms  to  be  had  in 
Mahon,  indeed,  noMe  suites  of  apartments  in  the  more  lordly 
mansions,  with  tiled  floors,  and  lofty  gilded  ceilings,  yet  they 
contain  very  little  furniture ;  and,  since  the  climate  in  winter 
is  cold  and  damp,  and  the  fuel  of  olive-roots  costs  ever  so  much 
the  arroba,  it  would  take  a  fortune  to  make  one  comfortable. 

We,  therefore,  chose  the  well-kept  posada  of  the  Cuatro 
Naciones,  and  thither  we  removed  our  traps.  We  had  a 
parlor  and  two  bed-rooms,  looking  angularly  out  into  the 
little  triangular  plaza.  The  parlor  was  a  pentagon,  with  brick 
floor — the  walls  whitewashed,  of  course,  and  hung  with 


210  S  C  AMP  A  VI  AS  . 

engravings  of  arsenals  of  the  last  century.  We  had  a  table, 
sofa,  and  four  chairs— all  of  them  the  most  rigid  and  unbend- 
ing structures  a  mortal  ever  beheld.  My  bed-room  had  two 
old  strips  of  carpet  on  the  floor,  a  chest  of  drawers,  which 
required  the  sinews  of  a  Titan  to  pull  out — one  of  those 
obstinate  sort  of  things  that,  when  you  have  nearly  dislocated 
your  elbows  in  the  struggle,  unexpectedly  yield,  and  land  you 
on  your  back — and  a  large  four-poster  bed,  with  dark  calico 
hangings.  The  figures  on  these  curtains  were  to  me  a  never- 
failing  and  hopeless  study.  There  was  a  tableau  of  a  multi- 
tude of  the  same  individual,  rescuing  a  baby  in  a  basket,  out 
of  a  thicket,  and,  had  a  bull  been  visible  in  the  distance,  I 
should  naturally  have  made  up  my  mind  that  it  was  an  alle- 
gorical representation  of  Moses  in  the  bulrushes ;  but  then 
the  individual  wore  a  Paris  bell-crowned  hat,  and  so  I  was 
always  in  doubt.  Our  apartments  were  whitewashed  and 
cared  for  by  the  remains  of  a  female  mummy,  of  the  Druidi- 
cal  species,  and  I  judged  partially  ossified ;  but  we  were  made 
very  neat  and  comfortable,  and  passed  the  time  resignedly. 
For  all  of  which  we  paid  a  peseta  apiece  per  day,  about  nine- 
teen cents. 

For  breakfast  we  had  French  buttered  rolls,  new  eggs,  and 
coffee ;  and  for  dinner  delicious  clam  soup,  or  date  fish ;  the 
former  made  of  small  scolloped  bivalves,  and  the  latter  a  long 
species  of  muscle,  found  in  the  clefts  and  fissures  of  the  rocks 
along  the  sea-shore.  They  are  esteemed  very  rare  crustacese, 
and  that  gourmand,  good  King  Louis  Philippe — he  of  the 
pear-faced  physiognomy — was  so  fond  of  them  that  a  steamer 
was  wont  to  touch  at  Mahon  twice  a  month — ostensibly  for 


EL      CUATRO      NAgiONES.  211 

dispatches — but,  in  reality,  for  clams  and  date  fish  for  the 
royal  table.  We  also  feasted  upon  woodcock  when  a  high 
northerly  wind  blew  the  birds  from  Europe  to  the  island ;  and 
always  upon  red-legged  partridges. 

Our  amusements  were  various.  In  the  morning  we  took 
long  rambles.  Not,  however,  after  the  Mahonese  mode  ;  that 
is,  when  a  lot  of  old  cronies  emerge,  wrapped  in  blue  cloaks 
lined  with  crimson  velvet,  or  attired  in  frogged  and  braided 
coats,  a  mile  too  small  for  the  wearers — like  Prussian  half- 
pay  officers  of  high  rank — meet  together,  they  make  a  rapid 
bolt  for  ten  paces ;  then  stop,  light  paper  cigars ;  discuss  the 
chances  of  their  quartillo  shares  in  the  royal  lotteria,  or  the 
threats  of  th^  Captain-General  to  consign  any  one  who  plays 
monte"  to  the  galleys — a  threat,  by  the  way,  which  he  put  in 
execution ;  and  then  ramble  a  few  feet  further,  renew  their 
arguments,  and  so  on,  until  at  the  end  of  half  a  day,  they  have 
got  over  a  few  roods  of  ground.  Our  walks,  on  the  contrary, 
were  vigorous,  healthful  tramps ;  away  to  the  little  town  of 
Aleao,  on  the  south  side  of  the  island ;  near  to  where  stand 
some  ancient  Druidical  altars,  huge  masses  of  stone  slabs, 
balanced  one  on  top  of  the  other,  in  shape  of  the  letter  T  ; 
or  out  on  the  Ciudadella  road,  amid  the  green  fields  of  grain 
and  vegetable  gardens.  Sometimes  we  went  a  la  buro,  don- 
key back,  and  extended  our  explorations  to  Mount  Toro, 
where  there  is  a  habitation  of  friars ;  or,  round  by  the  sea- 
lashed  gaunt  rocks  and  salt  water  lakes  to  the  north. 

On  Sundays  we  would  saunter  down  to  San  Carlos,  if  they 
happened  to  shoot  a  soldier  on  that  day — for  strict  and  severe 
discipline  was  maintained  in  the  army — or  else  we  went  to 


212  SCAMPAVIAS. 

the  great  barrack-square  to  attend  high  mass  for  the  troops. 
This  last  was  a  very  imposing  sight.  The  different  battalions, 
in  full-dress  parade,  were  drawn  up  on  three  sides  of  the  plaza, 
while  the  bishop  and  priests  officiated.  At  the  elevation  of 
the  host,  the  colors  of  the  regiments  were  dipped,  the  sol- 
diers kneeling,  and  all  the  while  sweet  and  impressive  music 
from  the  bands  rolled  up  to  the  heavens.  On  one  occasion, 
this  ceremony  was  interrupted  by  a  regular  stampede  of  the 
officers'  horses,  which  broke  from  their  orderlies  They  were 
hot-mettled  Andalusian  barbs,  and,  having  it  all  their  own 
way,  dashed  like  demons  right  and  left  at  the  close  columns 
of  troops;  and  in  defiance  of  the  glitter  of  the  forest  of 
bayonets,  they  plunged  through  the  lines  in  some  places,  and 
leaped  in  amongst  the  crowds  of  spectators  beyond.  To  place 
my  own  person  in  a  spot  of  comparative  safety,  I  immediately 
climbed  a  tree  ;  for,  from  the  little  knowledge  of  natural  his- 
tory I  possessed,  I  felt  convinced  that  horses  could  not  get  up 
trees,  and  only  elephants  could  pull  them  down. 

On  feast-days  we  sought  the  cathedral  to  listen  to  the 
organ — which,  after  that  of  Haarlem,  is  the  finest  in  the 
world.  It  was  built  in  Germany  by  the  bequest  of  a  rich  old 
prebendary  of  Mahon.  It  suffered  shipwreck  near  Cartha- 
gena,  on  the  voyage  to  Minorca,  but  eventually  reached  its 
destination  in  safety.  The  organists  are  capital  musicians, 
and  the  power  of  the  instrument  is  almost  beyond  concep- 
tion. 

Many  an  hour  have  I  stood  in  the  nave  of  that  great 
church,  bewildered  by  the  volume  of  sound  which  rolled  in 
tones  of  thunder  from  its  sixty  stops,  through  the  vast  space. 


EL    CUATRO    NA^IONES.  213 

Now  the  vox  humani  would  pour  out  its  liquid  and  plaintive 
melody  from  Bellini  or  Mozart ;  anon,  a  full  orchestra  of  wind 
and  stringed  instruments  would  mingle  in  some  glorious 
opera ;  again  the  trumpets  would  clang  shrill  and  clear  for  a 
battle-charge,  and  you  hear  the  rush  and  tramp  of  horse  and 
foot,  the  clash  of  steel,  the  moans  of  the  dying,  the  rattle  of 
musketry  and  boom  of  cannon.  And  then  is  heard  the  ap- 
proaching storm  ;  the  wind  comes  sighing  and  moaning  on, 
the  thunder  mutters,  rain  and  hail  come  beating  down,  crash 
succeeds  crash  in  wild  uproar,  until  the  din  of  war  and  the 
elements  are  at  their  height,  when,  finally,  the  discord  dies 
mournfully  away  in  the  distance,  leaving  the  cathedral,  from 
the  very  foundation  walls  to  the  lofty  groinings  of  the  roof, 
vibrating  and  tremulous  with  the  volume  and  power  of  that 
grand  old  organ,  I  often  thought,  that  T  would  rather  be 
master  of  those  keys  and  barrels,  with  the  power  to  produce 
such  music  from  that  glorious  instrument,  than  to  be  the 
captain  of  half  a  thousand  sailors  on  a  Frigate's  decks !  Lau- 
date  Dominum  in  chordis  te  organo. 

In  the  evenings,  we  occasionally  assisted  at  the  perform- 
ances at  the  little  theatre,  and  if  the  actresses  were  tolerably 
pretty,  we  would  go  behind  the  scenes  and  encourage  them 
with  our  applause.  Or  we  made  visits  to  the  pleasant 
society  of  the  city,  where  we  were  always  kindly  welcomed, 
and  we  did  all  possible  to  make  ourselves  agreeable.  Many 
of  the  ladies  are  very  beautiful  in  the  Spanish  type  of  loveli- 
ness, and  they  are  passably  accomplished.  Benedicts,  how- 
ever, as  married  men,  enjoy  an  exemption  in  being  admitted 
to  the  social  circles  of  unmarried  women.  Except  on  tertulia 


214 


SCAMPAVIAS. 


receptions,  nobios,  or  bachelors,  are  obliged  to  pay  their 
court  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  strongly-barred  windows.  It 
is  inconvenient  for  a  short  man  at  a  high-silled  window ;  but 
he  must  submit  to  it,  or  forego  the  low  love-whispers  and  the 
thrilling  clasp  of  his  sweet-heart's  hand.  This  system  of 
love-making,  peculiar  to  Mahon,  is  called  festajao — window- 
woo'd — and  it  lasts  sometimes  for  years. 


EL    OUATBO    NAgiONES.  215 

The  dongellas,  however,  have  rights  of  their  own,  and  if 
obdurate  parents  deny  a  lover  the  house,  or  forbid  a  match 
without  cause,  the  lady  can  demand  the  law.  I  knew  an 
instance  of  this  kind. 

A  lovely  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  grandee  of  a  famous  name 
in  old  Spain,  had  been  festa-jad'd  for  a  long  time.  Her  father 
vowed,  by  his  noble  escutcheon,  that  the  lover  was  the  son  of 
a  pirate,  and  he  should  not  darken  his  portals.  The  girl 
knowing  that  lovers  were  scarce  on  the  island,  clung  to  him. 

Now  there  is  an  edict  of  Spain,  by  which,  if  a  parent  refuses 
permission  to  marry  without  good  reasons,  the  alcalde  of  the 
district  may  issue  a  decree — a  sort  of  habeas  corpus — for  the 
lady  in  dispute,  take  her  from  her  natural  guardians,  and  hold 
her  in  safe  custody  for  four  days.  If,  at  the  end  of  this  pro- 
bation, without  seeing,  or  being  influenced  by  her  innamor- 
ado,  she  is  of  the  same  mind,  and  he  shows  a  sufficiency  of 
douros  buenos — hard  dollars — to  support  a  wife,  the  law 
allows  them  to  be  publicly  married.  All  of  which  happened 
to  the  warm-hearted  maiden  I  have  alluded  to. 

When  the  winter  fairly  set  in,  and  the  sharp  mistrals  blew 
in  hurricanes  out  of  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  whirling  the  salt  spray 
and  sleet  half  over  the  Island,  or  when  a  gale  came  Levanter, 
with  cold,  chilly  rain,  we  kept  snug  at  home,  in  the  Cuatro 
Na9iones,  knocked  the  balls  about  over  the  rickety  billiard- 
table,  or  descended  to  the  little  sitting  room,  back  of  the  cate, 
of  our  host  Huot's,  family.  Our  host  had  two  daughters ; 
the  elder  a  handsome,  buxom  widow  of  a  gallant  Spanish  brave, 
and  the  younger  was  Mademoiselle  Virginie.  She  had  a  sloe- 
black,  espiegle  eyes,  rich  masses  of  dark  hajr,  and  a  plump, 


216  SCAMPAVIAS. 

symmetrical  figure ;  and  through  her  pearly  teeth  she  warbled 
sweet  little  chansons  which  she  had  been  taught  at  that  ele- 
gant pension  in  France;  and,  in  a  word,  she  was  all  a  sailor 
needed  for  a  goddess.  For  hours  we  would  watch  the  nimble 
figures  of  these  donnas,  as  they  plied  the  tambour  with  golden 
threads,  for  our  shoulder-straps  or  embroidery. 

Ah  me  !  I  once  loved  Virginie  very  tenderly ;  and  my 
feelings  so  got  the  mastery  of  me,  that  on  coming  from  a  ball 
one  moonlight  night,  I  threw  myself  and  fortune  at  her  feet. 
But  she  refused  me.  She  told  me  her  heart  was  another's  ; 
she  was  fiancee  to  a  skipper  from  Lapland  ;  a  villain  who  put 
into  Mahon  leaky,  won  the  affections  of  Virginie  while  caulk- 
ing, and  then  sailed  away  to  his  frozen  home,  since  which  no 
tidings  have  been  heard  of  him. 

My  own  impression  is,  that  he  was  congealed  up  in  an  iceberg, 
and  may  be  floating  about  at  this  moment,  like  a  transpar- 
ency, in  the  frozen  ocean ;  for,  not  even  the  frigid  heart  of 
a  Laplander,  nourished  on  whale's  blubber,  could  have,  of  his 
own  volition,  left  so  charming  a  virgin  as  Virginie  in  the 
lurch. 

When  these  dear  girls  retired  to  rest — Virginie  had  a  cham- 
ber over  Mirrick's,  and  it  was  a  treat  to  hear  her  dainty  feet 
patting  the  floor  above — we  would  seek  our  own  quarters,  and 
await  visitors.  Strangers  we  were  never  troubled  with,  for 
no  sane  individual  ever  comes  to  Mahon  for  pleasure  or  curi- 
osity. I  did  hear,  however,  or  rather  there  was  a  tradition, 
that  one  God-forsaken  tourist  actually  drifted  on  the 
island,  but  some  kind  souls  instantly  wrote  to  his  friends  to  take 
him  away,  fearful  lest  he  had  escaped  from  a  mad-house. 


EL    CHAT BO    NA^IONES.  217 

Jack  Toker,  Marquand,  and  Robert  Peeteet,  the  purser,  who 
were  the  staid  wheel-horses  and  ship-keepers  of  the  Frigate, 
frequently  honored  us.  We,  at  the  same  time,  as  an  econo- 
mical measure,  exacted  small  contributions  of  olive-stumps 
from  those  who  chose  to  warm  themselves  at  our  fire.  Pratz, 
too,  with  his  feet  clothed  in  thirteen  pairs  of  yarn  stockings  and 
yellow  leather  shoes,  which  he  habitually  wore,  would  occa- 
sionally favor  us  with  a  call,  discuss  the  price  of  soap,  and  the 
affairs  of  the  nation,  and  bring  us  a  bottle  of  the  old  sherry, 
aetat.  40.  This  last  attention,  however,  was  very  unusual. 

"  Well,  Pratz,  are  you  sure  you're  quite  guapo  to-night  3" 

"  Oh,  yes,  gemmelmen." 

"  Any  news  flying  round  ?" 

"  Si,  mucho.  A  man  speekee  to  me  that  Spams'  engineer 
ossifer  and  navy  man  fite  wis  swords,  'bout  pretty  gal ;  navy 
ossifer  run  Spanis'  man  troo  his  boddy — killim  on  de  spot  P; 

"  Ah  !  what  has  been  done  with  him  ?" 

"  Bury,  him,  gemmelmen,"  says  Pratz,  unconcernedly. 

Here  conies  the  commissary,  with  his  pea-jacket  buttoned 
over  his  ears,  and  his  eyes  watering  with  cold. 

"  Well,  Bob !  the  wind  seems  to  be  rising,  by  the  way  these 
windows  rattle." 

"That's  none  of  my  business,"  gruffs  out  Bob,  "but 
there'll  be  no  raising  the  wind  out  of  me  before  the  first 
proximo ;  take  your  'davy  of  that  my  lads.  What's  in  that 
bottle,  Tok?" 

"  Strychnine !" 

"  All  right,  give  us  a  glass ;  and  do  for  mercy's  sake 
somebody  throw  another  toothpick  on  that  fire." 

10 


218  S  CAMP  A  VI  AS. 

Strange  to  say,  our  messmate  Robert,  who  at  first  was 
overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  visiting  Mahon,  had  lately  become 
rather  soured  in  mind,  after  only  a  couple  of  months'  expe- 
rience. He  would  not  dance  at  the  fandangos,  flirt  with  the 
pretty  girls  who  roasted  chestnuts  at  the  corner  —  as  did  Bays 
and  Bimshaw  sedulously  —  or  make  himself  happy  in  any 
way.  He  said  the  place  was  the  stupidest  on  earth,  and  he 
longed  for  a  dog-fight  even,  or  to  see  an  injy  rubber  man 
perform,  or  a  jackass-race,  for  excitement. 

The  door  opens  again,  and  our  bright  muchacho,  Juan 
Suredez,  ushers  in  a  stout  "  Johndarms,"  who,  in  his  deep 
scarlet  facings,  gives  us  a  glow  of  warmth  to  behold  him. 
He  makes  a  military  salute,  and  presents  a  large  square 
packet,  which,  on  opening,  we  find  cards  of  invitation  to  dine 
with  Don  Fernando  Cotoner,  Captain-General  of  the  Balearic 
Isles. 

"  Sorry  for  you  fellows,"  say  the  secretary  and  I  ;  "  only 
us  nobs  on  the  staff  dine  with  the  high  nobility." 

"  I  s'pose  you're  going  to  wear  your  copper-laced  trowsers, 
and  that  old  cocked  hat,"  sneered  Bays  ;  "  but  don't  come 
back  perfumed  with  garlic." 

Presently,  we  hear  mellow  chants  rising  from  below  : 

"  Moi,  tout  convert  de  cicatrices, 
Je  voulais  quitter  les  drapeaux, 
Mais  quand  la  liqueur  est  tarie, 
Briser  le  vase  est  d'un  ingrat 
Adieu  femme,  enfants  et  patrie  ! 
Vieux  grenadiers,  suivons  un  vieux  soldat." 


since  we  catch  considerable  repetition  of  "  mes  braves," 


EL      CUATKO     J^AgiONES.  219 

u  bataillons,"  "  mes  enfans,"  and  other  snatches  of  patriotism, 
we  divine  they  are  wafted  from  the  dulcet  throat  of  Jacques 
Huot,  who,  in  the  small  hours  of  night,  was  accustomed  to 
warble  melodies  referring  to  the  battles  and  glory  of  La 
France.  In  fact,  we  had  long  entertained  suspicions  that 
our  Boniface  turned  more  than  one  bottle  upside  down  in 
the  course  of  an  evening ;  but,  nevertheless,  this  tapage  was 
the  signal  for  us  to  break  up. 

Even  as  I  pen  these  pages,  I  hear  that  mine  old  host  has 
at  last  succumbed  to  the  inevitable  rataplan  of  death.  No 
more  shall  we  see  those  Carlo  Dolci  tints  of  nose ;  never 
again  shall  we  hear  those  sonorous  chants ;  and  never,  0  ! 
great  shade  of  Huot,  shall  navy  men  be  cheered  by  thy  jovial 
drinks ! 

In  due  season,  we  met  at  the  Captain-General's.  He  was 
surrounded  by  the  ajudantes  of  his  staff,  the  governor  of  the 
town,  Done  Josd  Leimery,  a  distinguished  colonel  of  cavalry, 
some  of  the  island  judges  and  officials,  and  his  family.  The 
Generala,  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing,  was,  in  every 
sense,  a  most  charming,  intelligent,  and  agreeable  woman. 
She  was  a  good  linguist,  and  dressed  conforme  to  the  most 
accurate  Parisian  mode.  The  General  himself  was  a  man  of 
mark,  and  owed  his  high  position  more  from  a  well-earned 
reputation  of  being  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier,  in  more  than 
one  field,  than  from  family  influence. 

We  had  an  excellent  dinner — with  wine  from  the  General's 
own  estates  in  Majorca — and  pleasant  conversation.  When 
we  took  our  leave,  I  was  really  sorry  to  say,  for  the  last  time, 
"  Buenos  noches" 


So  AMPA  VI  AS. 

All  sublunary  things,  even  in  Mahon,  come  to  an  end ;  and 
one  day  I  received  orders  to  be  ready  to  leave  in  the  steam- 
frigate  at  noon.  At  the  precise  minute,  I  was  on  the  deck  of 
that  ship.  Steam  was  up — asthrnatically,  as  it  always  was  in 
the  San  Jacinto — and  away  we  screwed,  down  the  harbor. 
We  met  with  no  other  mishap  in  the  beginning  of  our  voy- 
age than  winding  about  twenty  fathoms  of  seine  around  the 
propeller,  from  some  poor  fishermen's  nets,  which  made  them 
yell  in  a  manner  very  sad  to  think  of.  We  parted  with  Cape 
Mola  with 'a  light  breeze  from  the  southward  ;  but  away  to 
the  north  there  was  a  dirty  mist  cowering  along  the  horizon, 
and  the  sky  above  looked  as  grey,  hard,  and  cruel,  as  blue 
steel.  We  all  knew  what  those  appearances  portended,  and 
towards  nightfall  the  puffs  swept  over  the  water  on  the 
weather  bow  ;  the  white  caps  of  foam  began  to  show  them- 
selves as  the  sea  rose  and  fell  in  that  dreadful  Gulf  of  Lyons. 
Still  we  jogged  on  easily,  and  being  myself  a  passenger,  with 
nothing  to  do  with  wind  or  weather,  I  betook  me  below,  to 
look  about  for  a  comfortable  haven  during  the  approaching 
gale. 

Bittenhouse  offered  me  an  asylum.  His  state-room  was 
somewhat  lumbered  up  with  trunks,  curiosities,  and  a  library 
of  large  books ;  but,  as  everything  seemed  to  be  secure  from 
danger,  I  confidently  entered. 

At  dark,  when  the  gun-room  lamp  was  lighted,  I  noticed 
that  it  danced  about  considerably ;  and  I  could  hear  the 
scream  of  the  rising  gale  through  the  rigging,  as  the  steamer 
rolled,  floundered,  and  dipped,  in  her  struggles  to  get  onward. 
A  heavy  pitch,  like  a  ram  butting  at  a  gate-post,  and  an 


EL      CUATKO      NAgiONES.  221 

uneasy  sensation  in  the  region  of  the  stomach,  too,  warned 
me  that  the  commotion  had  only  begun.  I  assuaged  my 
inner  man,  however,  with  pale  sherry,  and,  wedging  my  outer 
between  a  valise  and  the  mattress  of  the  bunk,  I  awaited  my 
fate.  Bittenhouse  was  quite  sanguine — innocent  commissary 
that  he  was — that  the  storm  wouldn't  last ;  but,  just  then, 
the  ship  reared  up,  gave  a  drunken  stagger,  and,  falling  over 
on  her  side,  sent  half  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  together 
with  a  couple  of  solid  brass  candlesticks,  on  top  of  me. 

My  cries,  however,  soon  brought  succor,  and  Roger  Terry, 
holding  on  to  the  door,  with  his  heels  out  at  right  angles, 
recommended  his  state-cabin  as  the  safest  retreat  in  the 
ship. 

Thither  I  went.  That  is  to  say,  I  was  flung  there  bodily, 
by  a  heavy  lee  lurch  ;  and,  forthwith,  secured  myself,  by 
wedges,  on  the  berth. 

Into  the  gun-room  came  some  one  with,  "  I  say,  my 
hearties,  we're  going  to  have  a  ring-tailed  sneezer ;  the 
barometer  has  fallen  a  foot,  and  the  wind's  chopping  right 
into  our  teeth." 

Now,  a  landsman,  perhaps,  would,  presume,  that  the  teeth 
was  the  very  place  for  a  chop,  but  I  knew  that  our  prospects 
were  only  made  worse  by  that  meteorological  manoeuvre.  I 
swallowed  more  Xeres,  and  resolved  to  let  fate  do  her  worst, 
as  we  sailed,  and  we  railed  at  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  0  ! 

An  hour  or  two  passed,  and  still  the  gale  howled  more 
violently,  the  waves  broke  and  buffeted  us  more  savagely, 
and  the  steamer  lounged,  plunged,  wallowed,  and  twisted 
about  like  a  marine  boa-constrictor.  All  the  while  the  pro- 


222  SCAMPAVIAS. 

peller  shaft  went  turning,  writhing,  and  creaking  ;  the  engine, 
at  half-stroke,  clanking,  shuddering,  and  groaning,  in  dogged 
indifference  to  all  on  board.  Suddenly  the  ship  made  an 
awful  semi-summerset,  and  down  came  a  cocked  hat-box, 
three  cases  of  shell  flowers,  some  valuable  old  paintings — 
price  two  caiiini  each — and  a  Colt's  revolver,  slap  upon  my 
already  bruised  and  battered  body. 

"  Pull  me  out,  somebody,"  I  yelled,  "  and,  steward,  go  to 
the  Doctor  for  more  sherry." 

Rescued,  at  length,  from  these  miseries,  I  tumbled  into  a 
swinging  cot,  hung  in  the  open  "  country."  There  I  per- 
formed aerial  flights,  that  would  have  done  credit  to  Gabriel 
Ravel  or  the  Gnome  Fly.  I  described  rapid  segments  of 
inverted  circles,  beneath  those  ward-room  beams,  at  the  rate 
of  about  forty  per  minute,  diversified  by  incidental  fore  and 
aft  plunges,  that  nearly  snapped  the  clues  of  the  cot 
frame. 

Towards  midnight,  affairs  had  reached  a  crisis.  The  ten- 
inch  shot  for  the  pivot  guns  jumped  half  their  diameters  out 
of  the  racks,  and  such  a  game  of  leaping  and  smashing  as 
they  kept  up,  while  they  were  hurled  from  side  to  side  of  the 
upper  deck,  was  truly  marvellous. 

Between  my  tumblers  of  sherry,  and  noise  overhead,  I 
could  hear  the  quick,  sharp  orders  of  the  officers,  shout- 
ing: 

"  Here,  afterguard,  get  swabs  and  hammocks  to  chock 
these  shot.  Look  out,  there,  or  you'll  have  your  legs  broken. 
Aloft,  there,  and  stand  by  to  close  reef  the  main  top-sail. 
Keep  the  ship  by  the  wind.  Quick.  I  say !" 


THE   SAN   JACINTO.  223 

These,  and  many  other  sounds  I  heard,  as  I  lay  on  my 
dizzy  perch,  praying  that  the  old  Smoker  might  drive  on  the 
rocky  coast  of  Corsica,  or  descend  rapidly  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  the  agony  at  once. 

I  spare,  however,  any  further  allusions  to  that  painful  night, 
and  will  only  add,  that,  when  on  the  following  afternoon  we 
labored  wheezing  and  puffing  into  Spezia  with  a  dislocated 
engine,  I  took  a  final  sip  of  Xeres,  and  offered  up  thanks  to 
the  immortal  Gods  for  all  their  favors. 


224  SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter    XIX. 

"  With  busy  hammers  closing  rivets  up, 
Give  dreadful  note  of  preparation." 

41  Cry  Havoc,  and  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war." 

Greeks    and    Giaours. 

IN  the  early  spring  of  1853,  the  mutterings  of  warlike 
thunder  began  to  be  unmistakably  heard  in  the  East.  All 
Europe  was  arming  for  the  shock  ;  nothing  was  talked  of  but 
the  question  Turque  ;  and  we,  too,  feeling  some  curiosity  to 
know  how  matters  were  progressing,  spread  our  sails  in  that 
direction. 

It  took  us  some  days  to  get  our  sea  legs  shipped,  for 
we  had  been  a  long  time  in  port.  We  devoted  our  mornings 
to  cider  and  an  inch  or  two  of  broiled  mackerel  for  breakfast. 
Mirrick  stretched  himself  out  on  the  ward-room  sofa;  a 
retreat  that  he  affected,  and  from  which  no  entreaties  or 
threats  could  move  him.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  laziest  living 
mortal  on  shipboard,  and  I've  known  him  to  sit  on  the  sharp 
brass  cover  of  a  spy-glass,  until  a  circle  like  a  muffin  was 
nearly  cut  out  of  him,  without  the  slightest  sign  of  suffering. 
He  was  the  picture,  however,  of  plumpness,  happiness,  and 
contentment.  Lint  was  busy  at  the  table,  copying  old  love 
letters  for  some  new  flame,  and  asking  the  Greek  for  the 


GREEKS    AND    GIAOURS.  225 

Pillars  of  Hercules.  By  that,  we  judged  that  he  had  only 
brought  up  his  love  log  to  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  He 
is  now  the  Jefferson  Brick  of  the  Georgia  Banner,  but  I  trust 
he  will  forgive  me  for  telling  the  truth  about  his  marine 
recreations  during  his  last  cruise.  Some  of  the  mess,  for  light 
reading,  were  deep  into  the  Jefferson  State  papers;  others 
were  poring  over  old  newspapers,  growling  at  Fate,  playing 
back-gammon,  or  nibbling  biscuits  for  distraction. 

On  deck,  there  was  more  life.  The  sea  was  blue  as  the 
Empyrsean  above;  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Apennines  were 
heavy  and  glistening  white  with  their  mantles  of  snow,  and 
the  Frigate  was  swimming  along  under  her  port  studding 
sails  like  a  skip-jack. 

In  a  day  or  two,  we  touched  at  Naples.  There,  as  usual, 
we  visited  the  "  old  pigtures  and  paintigs  restorers' "  shops ; 
bought  enough  lavas  to  pave  a  saloon ;  enough  coral  to  build 
a  reef;  laid  in  our  supply  of  gloves  for  the  summer;  had 
our  pockets  picked  by  the  Lazaroni ;  went  to  a  penny 
theatre  to  see  the  spectacle  of  Tio  Tomas,  and  where  we 
beheld  Uncle  Tom  flogged  to  death  for  not  abjuring  the 
Catholic  religion;  and  we  fell  in,  also,  with  our  asthmatic 
consort,  the  San  Jacinto,  as  usual  with  a  smashed-up  engine, 
which  gave  us  no  concern  at  all ;  and  then  we  sailed  away 
again. 

Continuing  on  our  course  through  the  Straits  of  Messina, 
we  plunged  into  open  water,  with  the  great  Thunder  Cape 
on  our  left, 

"  Where  laves  the  Adriatic  beneath  an  eastern  gale, 
When  the  Calabrian  sea-marks  are  lost  in  clouds  of  spume," 

10* 


226  SCAMPAVIAS. 

and  steered  for  the  Archipelago.  Again  we  bowled  along 
under  full  sails  through  the  Cerigo  passage,  and  running  close 
beside  the  sterile  mountains  of  the  Morea,  we  passed  the 
French  fleet  at  anchor  in  the  Bay  of  Salamis,  and  once  more 
moored  in  the  Pirasus.  There  we  found  the  English  frigate 
Tiger,  whose  brave  captain — Gifford — was  afterwards  killed 
at  Odessa. 

We  came  to  Greece  to  aid  a  little  Diplomatic  Missionary 
negotiation,  and  for  the  purpose  of  exacting  indemnity  for 
landed  property,  of  which  our  citizen,  Mr.  King,  had  been 
despoiled  by  the  Hellenic  government  some  twenty  years 
before.  The  matter  was  handled  in  an  able  manner — with 
our  guns  to  back  him — by  our  excellent  minister,  Mr.  Marsh, 
who,  after  many  folios  of  sound  argument,  at  last  brought  the 
Greeks  to  a  fair  understanding  of  evenhanded  justice.  As  a 
nation,  we  were  roundly  abused  by  the  Athenians  for  our 
presumption  in  supporting  the  claims  of  our  countrymen ; 
and  one  individual,  who  had  been  handsomely  educated  in 
America  for  philanthropy's  sake,  kept  from  starvation  while 
there,  and  otherwise  well  treated,  was  kind  enough  to  register 
a  vow  to  blow  up  the  Frigate.  That  is  to  say,  sink,  drown, 
burn,  murder  and  destroy  every  man  of  us,  and  leave  nothing 
to  tell  the  story,  save  our  soiled  linen  with  the  laundry  women. 
The  name  of  this  charitable  Samaritan  is  Tricallistes. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  say,  however,  that  the  Greeks,  as 
naturally  dishonest  and  vicious  as  they  are,  in  the  matter 
of  property,  have  not  some  just  complaints  to  make  of 
American  missionaries.  At  the  same  time,  I  would  not 
wish  to  utter  a  word  in  disparagement  of  these  worthy 


GREEKS    AND    GIAOURS.  227 

people,  which  is  not  strictly  true.  I  have  met  numbers 
of  them  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  of  every  shade  of  denomina- 
tion, and  I  never  knew  one  who  did  not  seem  to  be  actuated 
by  a  sincere  desire  to  do  his  utmost  to  advance  the  good 
cause  in  which  he  was  enlisted.  It  is,  however,  an  excess 
of  zeal  which  occasionally  leads  them  beyond  the  bounds 
of  prudence,  and  involves  both  them  and  their  country  in 
endless  difficulties.  The  Greeks  say  :  "  Yes !  it  is  quite  true 
that  you  are  excellent  persons.  You  establish  schools  to 
teach  our  children,  and  do  us  all  a  world  of  good.  But  then, 
leave  our  religion  alone.  We  have  a  creed  older  than  yours, 
and  we  are  satisfied  with  it.  Don't  proselyte  amongst  us,  or 
ridicule  our  saints,  or  smuggle  your  Bibles  by  barrel  fuls 
over  the  country,  or  try  to  force  your  religion  down  our 
throats.  You  have  tried  the  experiment  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  and  you  have  not  yet  made  the  first  convert.  Even 
the  wives  you  have  married  from  our  midst,  still  adhere 
to  the  church  of  their  fathers.  Reflect,  too,  that  we  are  not 
Heathens  or  Infidels,  but  Christians,  like  yourselves,  and 
permit  us  to  worship  God  as  we  have  been  taught  to." 

This  is  the  language  that  intelligent  Greeks  use  in  speak- 
ing of  the  efforts  of  American  missionaries  in  Greece,  and  I 
repeat,  with  some  show  of  reason. 

During  our  absence,  on  the  26th  of  October  of  the  last 
year,  the  gulf  was  visited  by  a  tremendous  hurricane,  which 
blew  down  one  of  the  columns  of  Jupiter's  temple.  The 
sections  of  the  column  with  the  capital  fell  in  a  straight  line 
like  a  pile  of  bricks.  There  it  lies  now,  grand  even  in  death  ; 
with  the  private  marks  and  chisellings  of  the  ancient  marble 


228  SOAMPAVIAS. 

cutters  as  plainly  visible  on  the  intersections  of  the  drums, 
as  the  hour  they  were  cut. 

The  same  gale  stove  in  the  windows  of  the  palace  ;  tore  the 
hangings  of  the  throne  to  shreds,  and  destroyed  the  portrait  of 
King  Otho  himself.  The  Greek  corvette,  Amelia,  named  after 
the  Queen,  was  shipwrecked  in  the  same  storm.  She  providen- 
tially struck  in  a  small  craggy  cove  of  the  Island  of  Salamis, 
when  the  masts  went  over  the  side  and  made  a  sort  of  pre- 
carious bridge  to  the  rocks.  The  terrified  crew  gave  them- 
selves up  to  cursing  and  praying.  On  board  were  some 
army  officers  and  their  families  from  Nauplia  de  Romania, 
and  among  them  the  married  daughter  of  Marco  Botzaris. 
Imbued  with  the  heroism  of  her  sire,  she  was  the  first  to  lead 
the  way  from  the  shattered  wreck  ;  and,  with  her  eldest  child, 
a  boy,  sitting  on  her  shoulders,  and  a  little  girl  under  each 
arm,  she  bravely  walked  over  the  writhing  mast  and  spars 
during  the  height  of  the  tempest,  to  the  shore. 

Our  visit  occurred  at  the  feast  of  the  Greek  passover. 
Ruddy  fires  were  gleaming,  and  sheep  were  roasting  in  every 
vessel  in  port.  The  air  was  redolent  with  the  perfume  of 
mutton-chops,  pilaus,  and  Cypress  wine.  A  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  Alcibiades,  Agamemnons,  and  Pericles,  got  drunk. 
At  the  Piraeus  was  a  procession  of  the  Host,  on  a  tinsel 
car,  attended  by  filthy  soldiers  and  farthing  dip  candles.  I 
gave  my  arm  to  the  maid  of  Athens ;  the  youthful  maid, 
Miss  Carolina,  the  loveliest  girl  in  Greece,  was  escorted  by 
Bays  the  Marine,  #nd  we  skipped  about  the  hill-sides  like 
lambkins  in  play  ;  and,  finally,  had  some  brackish  ice-cream 
under  a  tent  on  the  treeless  Boulevard. 


GREEKS    AND    GIAOURS.  229 

On  driving  to  Athens,  we  were,  of  course,  ordered  to  heave- 
to  at  the  residence  of  the  Pirate.  "  Ah  !  my  Capiten  !"  he 
roared,  as  he  affectionately  pinched  Captain  Bangs  under  the 
muzzle,  "  Watee  have  drinkee  ?  brandee — cigarite — limon- 
adee — yes  !  give  it  one,"  while  he  handed  his  fluids,  and 
cheated  us  out  of  two  drachmi  in  the  change. 

We  drove  to  the  Temple  of  Theseus,  where  the  annual  fete 
succeeding  Easter  is  held.  There  were  a  large  concourse  of 
some  thousands  of  people  scattered  about  the  eminences  and 
slopes,  all  around  from  the  noble  ruins  to  the  observatory 
and  the  Tribune  of  Demosthenes.  On  the  partially  level 
spots  were  crowds  of  dirty  wretches — somewhat  under  the 
influence  of  their  nauseous,  bitter,  thick  wine — gambolling 
with  the  grace  of  dromedaries  in  their  national  dances. 
They  linked  hands  to  the  music  of  discordant  fiddles,  and  led 
by  a  fellow  waving  a  kerchief  and  chanting  dolefully,  they 
performed  a  series  of  steps,  so  awkward,  ungainly,  and  pain- 
fully laborious,  that  it  was  positive  torture  to  behold  them. 
It  was  classical  to  reflect,  however,  that  they  were  the 
descendants  of 

"  Those  Ancient,  whose  resistless  eloquence, 
Wielded  at  will  that  fierce  democratic, 
Shook  th'  Arsenal  and  fulmined  over  Greece 
To  Macedon  and  Artaxerxes'  throne." 

I  hold  the  Greek  male  costume  to  be  unseemly,  unhealthy 
and  undignified.  The  practice  of  screwing  the  waist  so 
unnaturally  tight,  to  keep  up  the  weight  of  the  lower  dra- 
pery— forty  yards  of  calico  or  muslin  is  a  fair  average — 
withers  the  lungs  and  breast,  and  makes  the  men  round 


230  SOAMPAVIAS. 

shouldered,  with  small  thin  limbs,  and  sprawly  hands  and 
feet.  Besides,  the  great  cumbrous  folds  of  these  petticoated 
fustenellas  impede  their  natural  movements,  and  it  is  rare 
to  meet  a  Greek  who  walks  like  a  man  ;  and  in  the  matter 
of  labor  or  any  physical  exertion,  they  are  helpless. 

Nevertheless,  many  of  the  costumes  were  rich  and  elegant. 
Some  profusely  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver,  on  dark  green 
velvet-or  scarlet  cloths,  and  the  tout  ensemble  of  the  Fete  was 
gay  and  picturesque. 

I  had  the  pleasure  to  escort,  on  this  occasion,  Miss  Eliza- 
beth, of  Crete,  a  young  Greek  lady,  who  united  the  charms 
of  intellect  and  amiability  to  a  devoted  love  for  her  country. 
Indeed,  her  enthusiasm  was  so  sincere,  that  I  often  hoped  her 
fervid  anticipation  for  the  redemption  of  Greece  might  be 
realized.  Though  under  the  present  government  the  pros- 
pect is  very  dim  and  gloomy. 

It  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  if  the  kingdom  were  put 
up  to  the  highest  bidder,  an  enterprising  Barnum  might  take 
the  job,  and  contract  to  keep  affairs — international,  civil, 
military,  and  domestic,  on  a  proper  and  respectable  footing. 
Maintain  the  king,  royalties,  and  a  small  parliament  in  good 
condition  ;  keep  the  palace  in  repair ;  make  roads,  encourage 
agriculture  and  trade,  enlist  an  army,  institute  cleanliness, 
suppress  lying,  and,  in  the  end,  retire  on  a  handsome  compe- 
tency. If  necessary,  the  contractor  could,  no  doubt,  get  up  a 
battle  occasionally,  with  a  stipulated  number  to  be  killed  on 
both  sides ;  then,  by  having  the  run  of  the  ruins,  with  the 
privilege  of  digging  out  a  street  or  two ;  throwing  the  Par- 


GREEKS    AND    G-IAOTJKS.  231 

thenon  open  for  monster  excursion  trains,  with  a  chaplain 
and  coroner  in  attendance,  and  supplying  harems  gratis,  the 
investment  might  be  still  more  profitable. 

But  we  must  return  to  the  Easter  fete.  I  stood  near  the 
observatory,  a  small  though  handsomely  constructed  edifice, 
built  and  endowed  by  a  rich  Philhellene,  in  the  vain  hope 
that  something  would  be  effected  in  astronomical  science  by 
the  modern  Athenians.  It  was  closed  and  deserted,  and  the 
heavenly  bodies  went  through  their  aberrations  unnoticed  by 
telescope  or  circle.  The  reason  given  was,  that  the  King 
changed  the  professors  so  frequently,  the  superintendent  had 
thrown  up  the  work  in  disgust. 

The  motley  crowds  were  moving  listlessly  about  the  sterile 
slopes  or  rocky  heights,  gazing  upon  the  equipages  of  the 
foreign  ambassadors,  shuffling  the  dust  in  clouds  with  their 
tipsy  gambols,  or  yelling  dreadfully. 

Towards  sunset  two  buglers,  belonging  to  a  squadron  of  ten 
lancers,  gave  a  blast,  and  the  cavalry  swung  into  their 
saddles.  A  detachment  of  sixteen  infantry — this  was  the 
entire  army  by  actual  count — formed  in  line,  the  populace  gave 
a  shrill  howl,  between  a  cheer  and  a  whine,  and  presently 
their  Imperial  Majesties  of  Greece  cantered  up  the  hill,  attend- 
ed by  four  dignitaries,  and  as  many  equerries.  The  Queen  was 
dressed  in  a  dark  green  riding-habit,  black  beaver  with  droop- 
ing feather,  and  veil.  King  Otho  wore  the  Albanian  costume 
of  crimson,  gold  embroidered  jacket  and  legs,  white  fustenella, 
with  a  richly  chased  sabre  belted  over  his  shoulder.  Both 
were  well  mounted  on  dark  chestnut  barbs,  and  the  Queen  sat 


232  SOAMPAVIAS. 

her  horse  gracefully  and  with  spirit.  They  rode  over  the 
ground,  pausing  to  look  at  the  fitful  antics  and  dances  of  their 
subjects,  and  bowing  graciously  to  all,  they  turned  bridles  and 
galloped  down  to  the  city. 

A  few  days  previous  to  this  fete  we  were  presented  to  King 
Otho.  The  apartments  were  in  a  different  part  of  the  palace 
from  those  in  which  we  had  audience  of  Queen  Amelia,  the 
year  before.  The  ante-rooms  were  lined  with  medallion  por- 
traits of  the  heroes  of  Revolutionary  Greece,  among  them 
that  of  Botzaris.  There  were  two  large  historical  paintings 
also,  with  a  profusion  of  sharp  lights  and  grouping,  of  battle 
and  warriors,  thrown  upon  the  canvas,  but  executed  with 
decided  merit. 

We  were  received  by  Kolokotroni,  the  Chamberlain,  and 
an  officer  in  cavalry  uniform.  The  presentation  took  place  in 
the  throne-room  ;  the  walls  and  ceilings  painted  a  la,  Grec ; 
the  floors  inlaid  with  polished  woods,  and  the  throne,  canopy, 
and  dais  were  of  crimson  velvet. 

When  the  doors  were  thrown  open,  we  beheld  King  Otho 
standing  in  the  centre  of  the  chamber.  I  would  wish  to 
observe  here,  that  it  is  by  no  means  a  difficult  matter  to  be 
presented  at  the  Greek  Court.  The  King,  especially,  rather 
likes  to  exhibit  his  fine  clothes,  and  goes  through  the  exhibi- 
bition  almost  daily.  It  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  sights  which  all 
travellers  undergo  who  visit  Attica.  The  ceremony,  however, 
did  not  impress  me  with  half  as  much  interest,  as  when  I  had 
the  honor  to,  pay  my  homage  to  my  portly  (but  now  defunct) 
friend,  King  Kammehamma,  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Otho  is  tall  and  slim,  with  a  small  head  and  very  large 


GREEKS    AND    GIAOURS.  233 

neck  ;  dark  hair,  flat  nose,  turned  up  at  the  apex  ;•  no  front 
teeth,  and  somewhat  hard  of  hearing,  in  fact, 

"  So  very  deaf, 

That  he  might  have  worn  a  percussion  cap 

And  been  knocked  on  the  head  without  hearing  it  snap." 

But  still,  with  his  German  greyish  eyes,  the  face  is,  on  the 
whole,  pleasing.  He  was  encased  in  one  of  his  favorite  cos- 
tumes of  Albania  ;  a  silver  embroidered  jacket,  with  large  fall- 
ing shirt-collar,  thrown  well  back  to  expose  the  full  length  of 
his  neck ;  a  white  cambric  fustenella  fell  to  the  knees,  where 
his  legs  came  into  the  picture  gorgeously  worked  in  silver. 
He  wore  red  tipped  morocco  slippers  on  his  toes,  and  in  his 
hand,  he  held  a  red  cloth  fez,  while  a  pearl-hilted  sabre  swung 
from  his  shoulder.  He  resembled,  at  the  first  glance,  with 
his  thin  legs  close  together,  and  standing  on  tiptoe,  a  silver 
scaled  fish,  of  the  transparent  smelt  species.  All  he  wanted 
to  preserve  the  unities,  would  have  been  a  little  silver  in  his 
pocket,  which,  if  the  report  was  true,  he  had  not. 

His  Majesty  began  with  our  Minister  and  went  round  the 
circle,  saying  something  pleasant  to  each,  and  the  audience 
being  over  we  went  our  way. 

Otho  is  a  plodding  man,  and  devotes  a  good  deal  of  his 
time  to  business  ;  but  somehow  or  other,  he  does  not  get  on. 
He  and  the  queen,  and  the  foreign  ministers,  are  forever 
squabbling.  They  both  intrigue  without  any  fixed  purpose. 
The  Russian  was  the  queen's  party.  The  Bavarians  and  Aus- 
trians  were  for  the  king.  The  French  and  English  opposed 
both,  while  the  Turk  fought  them  all. 

The  court  and  cabinet  were  also  at  loggerheads,  and  it  was 


234  SCAMPAVIAS. 

only  after  the  Eastern  war  fairly  broke  out,  and  a  brigade  of 
English  and  French  troops  in  the  following  spring,  were 
encamped  on  the  soil  of  Greece,  that  the  government  could  be 
brought  to  reason.  Then  the  king  was  coerced  into  dismis- 
sing his  advisers,  and  recalling  the  brigands  who  were  battling 
against  the  Turks  on  the  Albanian  frontier.  Kalergi,  who 
was  regarded  as  the  Redeemer  of  Greece,  came  into  power, 
and  Otho  was  at  his  feet. 

I  dined  with  Kalergi  and  his  associates  the  day  the  new 
cabinet  was  formed,  and  I  really  began  to  believe,  that  at  last 
the  buttresses  of  the  arch  were  laid,  which  might  once  bear 
the  weight  of  a  strong  government.  It  proved  fallacious 
however,  for  not  many  months  elapsed,  before  the  fabric 
crumbled  to  dust,  and  now  things  go  on  much  in  the  old  style : 

"Oh  feeble  statesmen,  Ignominious  times, 
That  lick  the  tyrant's  feet,  and  smile  upon  his  crimes." 

I  am  certain  that  I  never  was  more  happy  in  my  life,  than 
when  I  presented  the  last  diplomatic  dispatch  to  the  Prime 
Minister,  M.  Paicos,  at  Athens.  Very  savage  and  menacing 
the  document  looked,  in  its  huge  envelope  and  red  seals.  M. 
Paicos,  however,  was  calm,  and  even  amusing.  So  was  I,  in  a 
more  moderate  degree. 

"  Ah !"  said  he,  "  remercie  infiniment.  You  are  charmed, 
perhaps,  with  Greece." 

"  Think  it  detestable,"  I  smiled  in  reply. 

"  Vraiment,  then  you  don't  fatigue  the  curiosities?" 

"  Of  course  not." 

And  so,  after  mutually  expressing  delight  at  parting  with 
one  another,  I  inclined  my  dorsal  ridge,  and  took  leave. 


ON    THE    WING.  235 


Chapter    XX. 

"  The  minarets  already,  Sir ! 

There,  certes,  in  the  valley  I  descry, 

Gleaming  vermilion,  as  if  they  from  fire  had  issued." 

On    the    Wing. 

THE  French  fleet  still  lay  at  Salamis,  but  Admiral  Dundas, 
with  his  sea  battalions,  were  moving  swiftly  up  the  Archi- 
pelago to  the  mouth  of  the  Dardanelles. 

We,  too,  made  sail,  and  with  gentle  breezes,  and  a  sea 
without  enough  ripple  to  lull  a  turtle  to  sleep,  we  went 
through  the  Doro  passage,  and  after  sighting  the  islands 
of  Mitylene,  Ipsera,  and  Scio,  we  at  last  floated  up  to  Tenedos, 
and  dropt  anchor  in  view  of  the  plains  of  Troy. 

Here  we  lost  a  good  little  sailor  boy,  whose  head  was 
crushed  by  a  block  which  fell  from  aloft.  He  was  buried  in 
a  secluded  and  romantic  little  cove  on  the  Island  of  Tenedos, 
and  his  shipmates  strewed  his  lonely  grave  with  flowers. 

The  following  morning,  with  a  light  flirting  air,  the  Frigate 
crept  on  ten  miles,  and  when  the  fowls  went  to  roost,  we 
anchored  again  near  the  Asiatic  shore,  beneath  a  bluff  on 
which  stood  the  little  town  of  Yeni  Kiou.  This  place  had  a 
dusty,  reddish  hue ;  the  houses  ranged  in  layers  on  a  sand- 


236  SCAMPAVIAS. 

bank,  and  since  neither  mosque  nor  minaret  were  to  be  seen, 
we  presumed  the  population  to  be  Greek. 

The  next  day  there  came  a  breeze.  None  of  your  idle, 
lazy,  flawy,  fluttering  breezes,  that  toys  a  moment  with  the 
lofty  dimity,  first  on  one  quarter  and  then  on  the  other, 
or  else  hops  round  and  takes  you  flat  aback,  but  a  clear,  well 
defined  rippling  line  over  the  water,  growing  steadier  and 
stronger  every  minute,  until  the  waves  start  up  in  snowy 
crests,  and  plunge,  leaping  headlong  in  your  wake ;  heeling 
the  ship  over  to  her  bearings,  keeping  the  braces  taut,  and 
the  sails  rap  full.  This  gives  life  to  Jack,  as  well  as  his  ship, 
and  as  he  dances  a  merry  jig  round  the  capstan,  while  the 
cables  come  rattling  in,  the  canvas  shakes  itself  free  from  the 
loose  cordage,  and  bulges  out  with  its  stout  folds  to  the  rising 
wind. 

"  The  anchor's  up,"  says  the  officer  on  the  fore-castle,  and 
the  prow  of  the  Frigate  heads  for  the  mouth  of  the  Dar- 
danelles. All  around  us,  from  the  jaws  of  the  Straits  to 
far  astern,  the  white  sails  of  merchant-men,  from  every  clime 
under  the  sun,  like  so  many  flocks  of  sea-gulls,  are  crowding 
on  in  the  same  direction.  Soon  we  dash  by  the  forts  which 
guard  either  side  of  the  entrance.  On  the  left  is  Europa,  a 
castle  and  water-battery  of  some  forty  cannon,  with  great 
heaps  of  shot  outside  the  embrasures,  flanked  by  a  redoubt  on 
the  height  above.  On  the  opposite  coast,  plunges  down 
a  long  tongue  of  land,  loaded  with  batteries,  where  the  plains 
of  Troy  are  drained  by  the  river  Scamanda,  and  capped 
by  here  and  there,  spires  of  tapering  minarets  like  flag  staffs. 

On   we  swirl  up,  the   lands  of  Asia   rolling   along   into 


ON     THE     WlNG.  237 

swelling  hills,  green  at  times  with  fields  of  grain  and  groves 
of  figs  and  olives,  while  in  Europe,  the  banks  rise  pre- 
cipitously from  the  Hellespont,  in  dull,  rubbishy  banks  of 
stones  and  clay. 

Soon  we  come  to  the  town  of  Dardanelles,  which  rests 
on  the  Asiatic  shore.  The  houses  are  low,  red-tiled  struc- 
tures, and  the  flags  of  the  Consuls  of  all  nations  flutter  gaily 
above.  Here  is  another  grim  set  of  heavy  batteries,  vis-a-vis 
in  the  passage,  mounted  with  enormous  mortars  for  stone 
balls.  Here,  too,  a  boat  pulled  out  to  meet  us,  but  before 
the  hail  from  the  official  of  "  Watee  sheep  namee  ?"  and  the 
reply  of  "Cumberland,"  was  shouted  through  the  trumpet, 
the  Frigate  flew  by;  while  at  the  same  time,  the  Turkish 
ensign  was  displayed  from  the  fore,  and  the  roar  of  our  guns 
followed.  We  had  our  firman,  regularly  countersigned  by 
the  proper  authority,  and  before  the  garrisons  of  the  forts 
had  thronged  the  parapets,  and  the  women  in  their  white 
bernouses  had  clustered  about  the  heights,  in  the  cypress 
groves  to  behold  us,  we  were  well-nigh  out  of  sight.  In 
fact,  the  boom  of  the  heavy  guns  from  the  batteries,  in  return- 
ing our  salute,  only  came  faintly  to  our  ears. 

From  here  to  Gallipoli,  the  Strait  narrows ;  the  points  on 
either  hand  curve  towards  each  other  like  half  closed  calli- 
pers ;  the  shores  swell  from  the  water  in  gentle  hills,  fertile 
with  the  hues  with  which  nature  paints  her  fields. 

'•  There  stands  Abydos  I  here  is  Sestos'  steep, 

Hard  by  the  gusty  margin  of  the  sea, 
Where  sprinkling  waves  continually  do  leap, 
And  that  is  where  those  famous  lovers  be." 


238  SCAMPAVIAS. 

The  breeze,  strong  and  fresh  still,  wafts  us  on.  We  ran 
past  Lampsaki,  Karabonga,  Peristi,  and  many  a  village 
besides,  and  then  we  found  ourselves  bounding  out  into 
the  Marble  sea,  with  the  island  of  Marmora  dimly  looming 
up  in  the  distance. 

On  looking  back  upon  the  windings  of  the  deep  blue 
Hellespont,  with  the  shores  lapped  apparently  one  with 
the  other  by  the  shooting  points,  and  apart  from  the  associa- 
tions of  Hero,  Leander,  Xerxes,  and  all  the  gods  and  mortals 
of  ancient  story ;  apart,  too,  from  the  magnificent  array — 
as  in  a  moving  picture — of  great  fleets  of  vessels  whitening 
with  their  distended  wings  the  blue  water ;  aside,  I  say,  from 
all  these  accessories,  we  see  nothing  bewildering  in  the 
coup  cToeil.  The  country  is  simply  pleasing,  tolerably  well 
tilled,  and  undulating  in  hill  and  valley.  But  there  is  much 
wanting.  There  is  not  a  leaping  rill  or  foaming  watercourse 
to  be  seen.  The  trees  are  neither  light  nor  waving ;  they  do 
not  seem  as  if  birds  could  fly  through  them  :  there  is  only 
the  grim  green  cypress,  and  the  gray  speckled  trunks  of  the 
iron-leaved  olive ;  and  the  view,  under  any  point  of  aspect,  or 
any  phase  of  sunlight,  cannot  compare  in  beauty  with  any  ten 
miles  of  the  lower  Hudson. 

Early  the  following  morning  we  were  lying  idly  on  the 
Sea  of  Marmora,  within  a  league  of  Constantinople.  Stam- 
boul  and  Scutari  lay  before  us,  a  mass  of  low,  dilapidated 
buildings,  from  the  water's  edge  on  either  bank  of  the  Bos- 
phorus  to  the  slight  elevations  beyond.  A  decided  effect, 
however,  was  produced  by  the  great  gilded  domes  of  the 
mosques,  and  multitudes  of  minarets,  with  their  fretted  and 


STAMBOUL.  239 

gilded  railings  tipped  in  peaks  of  fire  by  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  in  the  cloudless  morning,  as  they  were  severally 
and  distinctly  marked  out  from  the  meaner  fabrics  at  their 
feet.  Then,  too,  the  patches  of  green  foliage  of  the  almond, 
fig,  and  cypress,  prettily  contrasted  with  the  white  around. 
But  instead,  as  I  fancied  this  capital  of  the  Caliphs,  ranging 
tier  above  tier  upon  the  "  seven  hills,"  the  houses  begin 
unevenly  from  the  shore,  and  were  they  of  a  uniform  height 
and  a  little  taller,  there  would  only  be  seen  those  portions  of 
the  city  which  face  the  sea. 

I  am  rather  accustomed  to  sights,  and  not  easily  thrown  off 
my  balance,  and  in  this  instance,  I  was  not  disturbed  in 
the  least.  In  fact,  in  my  first  impressions,  I  was  disap- 
pointed. 

With  a  steam-tug  ahead  of  the  Frigate,  she  was  pulled,  by 
a  severe  effort,  slowly  up,  amidst  a  labyrinth  of  merchant 
vessels,  against  the  current  (which  always  sets  from  the 
Black  Sea  through  the  Bosphorus),  into  the  mouth  of  the 
Golden  Horn,  where  we  let  go  an  anchor  near  Top  Hane,  on 
the  Pera  shore.  In  coming  even  this  short  distance,  the 
beauties  of  the  city  rather  stole  upon  us — more  especially  on 
passing  Seraglio  Point.  There  the  quaint  old  ivy  green  walls, 
with  clusters  of  fir,  spruce  and  cypress,  struggling  as  if  for 
life  and  air  above  the  surrounding  palaces,  harems,  and  bath 
houses  of  those  sacred  precincts,  gave  the  mind  something  to 
feed  upon. 

To  behold  a  Turkish  town,  however,  it  must  be  viewed 
from  a  distance.  Then  the  true  enchantment  is  realized ;  but 
the  moment  you  get  in  it,  the  charm  vanishes. 


240  SOAMPAVIAS. 

"  Bill,"  I  heard  an  old  salt  say  to  a  topmate  on  the  gun- 
deck,  as  he  calmly  contemplated  the  city  through  the  bow 
port.  "  Bill,  they  say  these  Musselmen  don't  drink  rum,  and 
it's  my  opinion  they  wont  go  to  the  devil  for  want  of 
churches,  either.  I  don't  see  nothin'  else,  and  that  big  one 
there,  I  'spose  is  Saint  Sophy,  where  the  Sultan  and  the 
Howling  Devices  do  their  private  screeching." 

"  Well,  my  hearty,  we  must  take  a  turn  on  shore,  and 
smoke  some  opium  through  a  hubble  bubble  of  rose  water, 
and  make  love  to  the  ladies." 

"  You'd  better  leave  that  game  alone,  Bill ;  these  turbaned 
fellers  is  very  skeery  about  their  wimmin,  and  will  wipe  ycur 
head  clean  off  with  a  skimetar  before  you  can  cut  a  chaw  of 
tobaky." 

Without  listening  further  to  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  Turks,  we  landed  at  Stamboul,  and  losing  sight  of  all 
celestial  objects,  plunged  pell-mell  into  the  narrow,  filthy 
lanes,  over  a  broken  pavement — which  was  frightful  on 
corns — and  stumbling  over  heaps  of  snarling  curs,  by  a  gen- 
tle ascent  we  reached  the  Bazaars.  Here  we  wandered  tor- 
tuously under  covered  arches,  with  little  stalls  of  booths  on 
either  side,  and  cross-legged  proprietors  exposing  their 
various  wares  for  sale.  Tramping  on,  we  came  to  the  Mosque 
of  Bejazet,  and  entering  the  courtyard — a  square  of  the  true 
Byzantine  order — with  fountains  in  the  centre  from  which 
little  squirts  of  water  poured,  and  where  the  devout  believers 
were  laving  before  or  after  saying  their  prayers  in  the  adja- 
cent Mosque.  There  were  thousands  of  sacred  pigeons,  too, 
of  the  breed  of  those  which  attended  Mahomet  to  Mecca, 


NARGHILES. 


clustering  on  the  pavements,  and  fluttering  about  in  the 
tamest  confusion.  From  Bejazet  we  steered  to  the  Seraskier 
tower,  a  lofty  shaft  from  where  the  never-ending  fires  which 
devour  the  city  are  pointed  out  to  the  Turks  below.  The 
bureau  of  the  Minister  of  War  is  hard  by,  and  we  saw  that 
Functionary  in  the  flesh  —  a  fat,  venerable  gentleman  seated  on 
horseback,  attended  by  his  pipe  and  portfolio  bearers,  and 
half-a-dozen  cavasses,  who  were  whacking  the  populace  indis- 
criminately, so  as  to  keep  the  pathway  clear  for  his  Excel- 
lency. 

Dodging,  on  our  return,  through  an  interminable  series  of 
dirty  lanes  and  dog  kennels,  we  paused  awhile  at  a  Turkish 
cafd.  Heaven  only  knows  where  it  was,  but  we  found  it 
surrounded  by  a  puppery,  and  also  a  full  grown  yelping 
doggery.  The  cafd  was  not  spacious,  and  the  furniture  con- 
sisted of  a  few  rough  benches  and  stools,  a  great  pile  of  pipes, 
a  shelf  filled  with  narghiles,  and  a  little  furnace.  The  waiters 
were  all  hump-backed  and  bare-legged,  with  the  exception  of 
the  proprietor,  an  obese  person,  who  evidently  had  not  seen 


11 


242  SOAMPAVIAS. 

his  toes  for  many  moons.  He  was  attired  in  a  spotted  calico 
shirt,  and  a  pair  of  the  loosest  and  most  immodest  drawers 
you  ever  saw.  On  his  little  finger — he  had  but  one — he 
wore  a  sparkling  brilliant,  the  size  of  a  hazel  nut.  We  had 
hubble  bubbles,  and  a  thimble-full  of  coffee-grounds,  and 
making  friends  with  the  Turks,  found  them  quite  jolly  and 
companionable.  Then  crossing  one  of  the  two  bridges 
which  spans  the  Golden  Horn,  we  came  to  Pera,  and  after 
another  toilsome,  dirty  ascent,  we  halted  at  the  hotel 
d'Angleterre. 

In  old  Stamboul  and  Pera,  there  are  few  exceptions  to  the 
wooden  build  of  the  city ;  mere  mud,  clapboard,  plaster 
structures,  with  the  second  stories  projecting  over  the  lower, 
upheld  by  timbers  similar  to  the  knees  of  a  ship,  and  all 
closely  latticed,  decayed,  and  rickety.  The  charm,  if  any 
there  be  with  these  habitations,  is  all  on  the  inside.  In  our 
ramble  we  met  numbers  of  Turkish  women,  swaddled  to  the 
eyes  in  muslin  yasmaks  • 

•'  Shrouded  in  white 

With  two  holes  for  their  eyes  to  give  room, 

Seem  like  corpses  in  sport  or  in  spite 
Who  have  slily  whipped  out  of  their  tomb," 

leaving  their  great  expressionless  eyes,  like  preserved  dam- 
sons, and  parts  of  their  wax-like  faces  visible.  They 
stared  quite  ruthlessly  at  us  infidels,  but  there  was  in  them 
not  the  slightest  inducement  to  excite  even  a  wink  in 
return. 

From  the  hotel  we  descended  the  steep  paths  to  Top  Hane*, 


ON    THE    WING.  243 

and  just  as  the  cannon,  far  and  near  along  the  Bosphorus, 
announced  the  eve  of  the  great  feast  of  Ramazan,  by  the 
light  of  the  illumined  minarets  we  jumped  in  a  caique,  and 
shot  swiftly  on  board  the  Frigate. 


244  SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter  XXI  . 

Hiangi  n  Var! 

WHILE  walking  the  deck  an  hour  or  two  later,  there  sud- 
denly flashed  out  on  the  Stamboul  side,  a  conflagration  amid 
the  paper-built  houses  near  the  shore.  The  red  flames  leaped 
up  in  the  star-light  night,  lighting  the  great  cities  and 
bridges  on  both  sides  of  the  Golden  Horn,  clearer  than  day. 
The  pure  white  minarets — resembling  long  candles  with  bur- 
nished extinguishers  on  top — encircled  by  triple  rows  of  lamps 
around  their  stems,  stood  out  in  vivid  relief  above  the  glowing 
and  gilded  domes. 

As  the  fire  spread,  sweeping  and  crackling  in  its  wrath,  our 
boats,  with  those  of  the  English  Corvette  Wasp,  with  the 
engines,  were  manned,  and  away  we  dashed  to  the  scene. 
We  cracked  half  a  score  of  caiques  like  so  many  walnuts,  as 
the  bows  of  our  heavy  cutters  swept  into  the  quay.  The  fire 
was  raging  near  the  custom-house,  on  the  very  spot  where  we 
had  disembarked  in  the  afternoon.  Fortunately,  there  was 
no  wind,  and  water  was  to  be  had  in  profusion  from  the 
Golden  Horn.  The  sailors  worked  like  beavers,  and  landing 
the  engines,  and  being  supplied  by  the  Turks  with  buckets, 


HIANGIN    VAR!  245 

hooks,  and  ropes,  they  sprang  into  the  burning  buildings,  and 
tore  all  down  before  them. 

Meanwhile,  the  populace  were  whacked  unmercifully  by  the 
armed  police,  to  give  a  clear  field  for  the  Franks  to  work ;  and 
crowds  of  indifferent  Turks  besides,  calmly  stood  by  at  a  safe 
distance,  and  smoked  their  chibouques  peacefully.  Soon  the 
Seraskier  appeared,  together  with  other  high  officials,  giving 
us  to  understand,  that  Allah  would  reward  us ;  but  at  the 
same  crisis,  they  evinced  no  wish  to  lend  a  hand  to  subdue 
the  conflagration. 

The  English  and  American  sailors,  however,  reckless  as 
demons,  plunged  amidst  the  flames,  and  hitching  on  to  the 
pillars  or  roofs  of  the  buildings  in  the  vicinity,  with  the  stout 
hooks  and  chains,  would  then  tail  on,  and  with  a  roaring 
cheer,  the  whole  fabric  would  be  torn  to  the  ground,  in  a 
whirl  of  cinders  and  smoke.  Under  this  treatment,  the  fire 
was  soon  checked,  but  still  the  jolly  tars,  regardless  of  mis- 
chief, were  in  for  a  frolic,  and  since  no  alcoholic  rewards  were 
at  hand  to  repay  them  for  their  exertions,  they  seemed  resolved 
to  pull  half  of  Stamboul  down,  out  of  the  purest  fun  and 
delight. 

While  this  sport  was  going  on,  and  a  daring  fellow  had 
succeeded  in  clambering  up  to  a  cornice  of  the  custom-house, 
and  there  securely  made  fast  an  iron  grapnel  to  the  portico ; 
while  a  hundred  of  his  excitable  companions  were  eagerly 
waiting  for  a  pull,  a  diminutive  Turk — I  thought  at  the  time 
it  might  be  the  Caliph  himself— trotted  up  to  us.  In  the  most 
imploring  dumb  show,  he  begged  us  in  the  name  of  the  Pro- 
phet, to  desist.  He  even  went  so  far,  as  to  take  his  pipe  from 


246  SCAMPAVIAS. 

his  mouth,  and  break  it  over  the  head  of  his  cavasse,  in  his 
anxiety  to  save  the  destruction  of  more  property. 

We  regarded  this  demonstration  as  downright  ingratitude, 
but  at  the  same  time,  the  request  was  a  reasonable  one,  and 
accordingly  we  gave  orders  to  draw  off  our  firemen.  The 
boatswain's  mates  piped  belay,  and  embarking  the  machinery 
we  pulled  on  board. 

Thus  ended  my  first  day's  experience  in  Constantinople. 


THE    SUBLIME    POKTE.  247 


Chapter  XXII. 

On  helm  and  harness,  rings  the  Saxon  hammer, 
Through  Cimbric  forest  roars  the  Norseman's  song, 
And  loud,  amid  the  universal  clamour. 
O'er  distant  deserts  sounds  the  Tartar  gong. 

The    Sublime    Porte. 

FOR  the  second  time  in  the  history  of  the  present  genera- 
tion of  Turks,  they  had  thrown  off  their  natural  apathy,  and 
were  getting  wide  awake  to  the  danger  of  a  hug  from  the 
Northern  Bear. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  before  our  arrival  that  Prince 
Menschikoff  had  demanded  his  passports,  and  gone  out  of  the 
Bosphorus  in  a  huff,  with  just  civility  enough  at  parting  to 
touch  his  chapeau  to  the  Sultan,  and  refrain  from  kicking  the 
Grand  Vizier  out  of  the  Seraglio  gate. 

Steamers  were  arriving  with  Turkish,  Tunisian,  or  Egyptian 
troops  every  day.  Great  barges  loaded  with  guns,  shot  and 
ammunition,  were  going  continually  to  the  various  fortified 
points  on  the  Bosphorus.  Soldiers  were  pouring  in  from  all 
parts  of  the  Turkish  dominions.  Platforms  for  batteries  were 
being  hastily  erected  at  Top  Hane.  The  Arsenal  was  teeming 
with  five  thousand  workmen.  Every  hour  Tartar  expresses 


24:8  SOAMPAVIAS. 

came  galloping  to  the  different  Embassies  at  Pera,  or  to  the 
Porte,  and  dispatch  steamers  came  whizzing  nearly  red-hot, 
into  the  Bosphorus,  to  keep  up  the  excitement.  The  cry  was 
in  the  cafe's,  "  The  Russians  have  crossed  the  Danube  ;  their 
fleet  was  signalled  off  the  mouth  of  the  straits  yesterday.  The 
forces  of  the  Czar  will  occupy  Stamboul  next  week,  and  the 
Greeks  will  rise  en  masse."  On  the  other  side,  they  said, 
"The  combined  fleets  are  at  Tenedos;  the  Austrians  and 
Prussians  have  joined  the  Allies ;  we  shall  have  an  hundred 
thousand  Franks  at  Gallipoli  before  Bairam.  Long  live 
Abdul  Medjid !" 

Meanwhile,  the  Turks  fasted  in  the  day  and  feasted  at  night. 
The  Infidels  looked  anxiously  to  their  ships  of  war  for  refuge. 
The  Hebrews  bought  bills  of  exchange  on  London,  and  all  the 
time  the  rataplan  of  war  became  louder  than  ever. 

Amid  all  this  hubbub  we  made  our  calls  of  ceremony  upon 
the  High  Dignitaries  of  the  Padisha's  dominions.  First  we 
went  to  the  Arsenal,  which  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Golden 
Horn  on  the  Pera  side.  We  landed  to  pay  our  respects  to 
the  Capudan  Pasha — the  Lord  High  Admiral,  who  flies  his 
red  crescent  flag  at  the  main  of  the  fleet.  We  were  received 
by  a  full  guard  of  soldiers,  and  ushered  with  great  state  and 
decorum,  into  a  long  lofty  apartment,  laid  with  matting,  with 
chintz  covered  divans  ranged  around  the  walls. 

The  Pasha — an  exceedingly  large  of  girth  and  jolly  looking, 
black-eyed  Turk,  received  us  very  cordially,  and  we  were  soon 
seated  near  him.  He  wore  a  blue  frock-coat  with  navy  but- 
tons and  pantaloons,  but  his  Excellency  was  manifestly  ill- 
at-ease  in  those  garments,  and  what  plainly  augmented  his 


THE    SUBLIME    PORTE. 


anxiety  was,  feeling,  perhaps,  obliged  to  sit  like  a  Chris- 
tian. In  that  position  an  Oriental  is  deprived  of  the  power 
of  speech.  The  stout  Admiral,  however,  presently  tucked  one 
leg,  surreptitiously  as  it  were,  under  his  base,  and  then  allow- 
ing the  other  heel  to  swing  to  and  fro,  he  seemed  to  recover 
his  spirits,  and  chatted  away  becomingly. 

Pipes  were  brought,  with  sticks  six  feet  long,  having  great 
amber  bulbed  mouth-pieces,  and  the  stems^ribbed  and  strapped 
with  diamonds  and  emeralds.  There  was  a  bearer  to  each 
one  of  these  valuable  tubes,  which  were  never  lost  sight  of. 
Coffee  was  served,  so  soon  as  the  pipes  were  under  way  ;  and  the 
attendants  balanced  the  diminutive  cups  in  their  jewelled 
stands,  in  the  palm  of  the  left  hand,  while  the  dexter  flipper 
was  held  over  to  steady  them.  After  this,  we  had  sherbet  in 
large  porcelain  bowls,  when  our  pipes  were  taken  away,  and 
we  made  our  adieux  to  the  Pasha. 

We  made  a  tour  of  the  Arsenal,  where  we  saw  the  Bagnio 
of  Anastasius,  the  work-shops,  dry  dock,  and  some  creditable 
specimens  of  American  ship-building ;  and  then  embarking, 
we  struck  across  the  Golden  Horn,  and  landed  at  Stamboul. 

On  the  quay  we  found  horses  superbly  caparisoned,  to  bear 
us  to  the  Sublime  Porte.  Our  cavalcade  was  eminently  respec- 
table, and  on  our  passing  through  the  noisome  lanes,  we  bore 
ourselves  as  proudly  as  Saladin  amid  the  Infidels.  It  must 
have  been  rather  an  expensive  turnout  to  some  one,  but  who 
paid  the  scot  we  did  not  pause  to  inquire.  I  learned,  how- 
ever, that  the  Grand  Vizier  alone,  could  not  be  seen  for  less 
than  fifty  hard  dollars — even  by  Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe 
himself — but  as  these  are  the  barbaric  customs  of  the  coun- 

11* 


250  SCAMPAVIAS. 

try,  I  presume  our  government  paid  it  out  of  the  contingent 
fund  without  a  murmur. 

Passing  beneath  the  famous  Porte,  we  dismounted  at  the 
entrance  to  a  large  pile  of  stone  buildings,  and  marching 
through  a  dense  lane  of  people,  we  ascended  a  couple  of 
flights  of  steps,  and  were  shown  into  an  ante-chamber.  Here 
we  kicked  our  heels,  and  were  told  that  on  account  of 
Ramazan,  tobacco  pr  coffee  were  not  allowed  in  the  purlieus 
of  the  Porte.  This  was  aggravating,  for  we  had  become  fond 
of  the  aroma  of  Latakia  and  pure  mocha,  and  the  Turkish 
grandees  always  serve  you  the  best. 

In  a  brief  space,  a  curtain  was  drawn  aside  from  a  door- 
way, and  we  stood  in  presence  of  Reschid  Pasha — who 
married  the  Padisha's  daughter — who  has  lovely  odalisques 
in  his  harem,  and  who  is,  in  fact,  the  greatest  man  in  Turkey. 
He  is  a  man  of  about  fifty-eight  years;  of  small  stature, 
an  intellectual  head,  fine,  intelligent  dark  eyes,  and  grizzled 
beard.  He  speaks  French  perfectly,  though  it  is  not  etiquette 
to  address  him  in  any  language  but  that  of  his  master 
the  Caliph.  In  manner,  he  was  extremely  pleasing,  and 
in  the  duty  of  making  civil  speeches,  he  was  quite  at 
home ;  and  he  praised  our  country  and  institutions,  as  if 
he  had  been  acquainted  with  our  theory  of  government 
all  his  life. 

Leaving  Reschid  Pasha,  we  were  presented  to  the  Grand 
Vizier.  This  was  a  tall,  dignified  old  gentleman,  who 
had  been  governor  of  Candia.  From  the  Vizier,  'we  went 
to  the  President  of  the  Council,  where  the  usual  forms  took 
place,  and  then  we  countermarched  out  of  the  building. 


THE    SUBLIME    PORTE.  251 

On  all  the  visits  to  the  Porte,  we  were  preceded  by  a 
grizzly  old  mute,  who,  during  the  interviews,  always  sta- 
tioned himself  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  seemed  to 
take  great  interest  in  the  proceedings,  frequently  nodding  his 
red  fez,  and  making  signs  of  approbation  with  his  wrinkled 
digits,  to  give  the  world  to  understand  that  he  thought 
the  affairs  were  creditably  conducted.  We  were  told  he 
was  a  privileged  character,  and  attended  all  secret  divans 
when  important  business  was  transacted. 

Taking  to  our  steeds  again,  we  capricoled  out  of  the 
Sublime  Gate,  where  stands  a  gilded  kiosk  in  front,  and 
from  where  the  Sultan  can  behold  his  ministers  enter  the 
council  chamber,  and  then  we  re-embarked  at  the  quay, 
everything  having  passed  off  perfectly  well. 

The  next  morning  we  heard  that  the  Caliph  himself  was 
going  to  say  his  prayers  at  a  mosque  some  distance  up 
the  Bosphorus.  A  party  of  us  jumped  into  one  of  the 
frigate's  cutters,  and  pulled  up  the  European  shore. 

The  houses  line  the  brink  of  the  Strait,  and  though  not 
quite  so  dilapidated  as  those  in  the  city,  are  yet  decayed, 
and  of  the  same  flimsy  material.  The  only  advantage  is  in 
position.  The  Turk,  indeed,  is  fond  of  water,  and  if  he 
can  puff  his  chibouque  over  an  ocean,  lake,  tank  or  mud- 
puddle — it  matters  not  which — he  will  not  waste  a  glance  on 
scenery,  however  picturesque  or  inviting. 

To  my  view,  the  only  sensible  plan  for  the  Russians  to 
pursue  when  they  occupy  the  Bosphorus — as  they  assuredly 
will  one  of  these  days — would  be  to  burn  Constantinople 
to  the  ground,  and  then  begin  anew  with  more  solidity 


252  SCAMPAVIAS. 

and  regularity.  It  is,  in  fact,  as  it  stands,  nearly  swept  away 
every  year  by  fire,  but  since  the  houses  are  run  up  again 
with  nearly  the  same  rapidity  as  they  are  destroyed,  there  is 
nothing  gained. 

On  our  way  up,  we  passed  the  new  palace  of  the  Sultan. 
It  is  of  white  marble,  delicately  carved  and  sculptured  in 
a  florid  Italian  style,  but  it  presents  the  finest  fagade  I  ever 
beheld.  The  state  apartments  are  in  the  centre,  while  the 
Imperial  Salmanik  and  the  Harem  are  in  either  wing.  It  was 
not  finished  at  the  period  of  our  visit,  and  the  Sultan  occupied 
his  summer  Palace  of  Lights,  some  distance  beyond.  At  the 
last  named  residence,  the  entrance  is  by  marble  steps  to  a 
portico,  supported  by  marble  columns,  but  the  structure 
itself  is  of  boards,  and  many  of  the  finely-latticed  grilles  were 
hanging  lopsided  and  unhinged  from  the  windows. 

Landing  a  little  further  on,  we  traversed  a  lane  and 
came  to  an  irregular  space,  where  a  couple  of  regiments 
of  native  troops  lined  the  approaches,  and  where  we  found 
very  few  persons  to  intercept  the  view.  The  mosque  faced 
the  square,  and  the  mollahs  were  already  chanting  the  rites 
of  the  Koran  within,  in  presence  of  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe. 
In  about  half  an  hour  there  was  a  stir  among  the  soldiers ; 
three  horses  were  led  forth,  all  magnificently  dressed  in 
jewelled  bridles  and  saddle  housings,  while  one  was  held  at 
the  steps  of  the  mosque. 

First  filed  out  the  high  officers  of  state,  all,  with  the 
exception  of  Reschid  Pasha,  men  of  enormous  bulk,  whose 
curved,  weak  legs  were  not  strong  enough  to  support 
them. 


GOING    TO    PKAYERS.  253 

"  There's  some  with  their  legs  straight  by  natur — 
And  some  is  born  with  bow  legs  from  the  first, 
And  some  that  should  have  grow'd  a  good  deal  straighter, 
But  they  were  badly  nursed." 

Then  came  Abdul  Medjid,  the  Grand  Signior.  He  walked 
slowly  down  the  steps,  with  a  timid,  shuffling  gait,  and  was 
carefully  assisted  to  mount  his  charger.  He  wore  a  plain 
blue  cloth  cloak,  clasped  by  a  crescent  of  brilliants,  and 
white  trowsers ;  and  his  crimson  velvet  fez  was  crowned  by  a 
jewel  that  sparkled  like  a  planet.  As  his  beautiful  steed 
daintily  moved  on  towards  the  palace,  his  attendants  fell 
in  the  rear,  the  troops  wheeled  into  line,  the  band  struck 
up  the  imperial  march,  and  the  cortege  swept  by.  In  person 
the  Sultan  is  rather  below  the  medium  height,  and  has  a 
defect  in  one  of  his  feet.  I  saw  him  several  times  after- 
wards, and  his  face  always  bore  a  pale,  care-worn,  effete 
expression,  with  a  print  of  pain  stamped  deep  upon  his  brow. 
He  rarely  smiles,  and  his  mild,  dark  vacant  gaze  wanders 
about  with  scarcely  a  gleam  of  light.  He  is,  however, 
greatly  beloved  by  his  subjects,  for  he  treats  them  with 
gentleness,  never  interferes  with  the  just  administration  of 
the  laws,'  and  abhors  the  shedding  of  blood.  He  has,  also,  in 
all  praise  be  it  said,  put  a  stop  to  the  inhuman  and  cruel 
system  of  preparing  Eunuchs,  to  make  janitors  and  guardians 
of  the  imperial  harems. 

The  Sultan  regarded  us  with  a  furtive  look  of  curiosity, 
and  almost  smiled  upon  the  cluster  of  handsome  sailors 
standing  near  us,  but  at  last  the  palace  gates  closed  after 
him,  and  then  returning  to  our  boat,  we  skimmed  rapidly 
down  the  current  to  the  frigate. 


254 


So  AMP  A  VI  A  S. 


Chapter   XXIII 

"  And  now  he  rose  ;  and  after  due  ablutions, 
Exacted  by  the  customs  of  the  East, 
And  prayers,  and  other  pious  evolutions, 
He  drank  six  cups  of  coffee  at  the  least." 


A     Stampede    at    Stamboul. 

HAVING  now  had  a  sight  of  the  living  notabilities  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  we  turned  our  attention  to  other  objects  of 
minor  importance. 


A  STAMPEDE  AT  STAMBOUL.   255 

One  pleasant  morning,  Captain  Bangs — who,  I  believe, 
either  won  a  bet,  had  a  legacy  left  him,  or  at  all  events, 
found  a  considerable  balance  standing  to  his  account 
on  the  exact  books  of  Commissary  Peeteet — generously 
bethought  him  to  ask  Jack  Toker  and  me  to  spend  the 
day,  and  dine  with  him  on  shore.  We,  nothing  loth,  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  seizing  Bangs  by  the  fist,  shook  that  mem- 
ber heartily,  and  forthwith  sealed  the  bargain. 

Shoving  pistols  in  our  belts,  and  girding  on  our  swords, 
we  got  away  from  the  ship  early.  The  programme  was  to 
go  to  Miseri's  Hotel,  procure  horses  and  guides,  cross  over  to 
Stamboul,  take  a  bath,  look  through  the  bazaars,  then  gallop 
anywhere  out  of  the  city,  and  so  back  to  Pera,  in  time  for 
dinner  in  the  evening. 

We  went  on  very  well  in  these  recreations,  until  we  came 
to  the  bath  establishment,  and  there  Captain  Bangs  used  strong 
language — as  was  his  wont  when  moved — and  intimated  that, 
he  would  rather  take  thirteen  dozen  with  the  knout,  than  be 
flayed  alive  by  a  Turk.  "  For,"  said  Bangs,  quoting  Scripture, 
"  Gilead  abode  beyond  Jordan ;  and  why  did  Dan  remain  in 
ships  ?  Asher  continued  on  the  sea-shore,  and  abode  in  his 
breaches."  We  reasoned  with  Bangs,  and  tried  to  change  his 
views,  but  he  remained  firm.  He  consented,  however,  to 
wander  about  the  bazaars,  buy  a  lot  of  slippers,  Broussa  silks, 
and  lay  in  his  stock  of  otto  of  rose,  while  we  disported  our- 
selves in  the  hot  water. 

The  baths  we  selected  were  the  finest  and  most  spacious, 
open  to  the  public  in  Stamboul.  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
structure  from  a  little  eminence,  as  we  approached.  It  seemed, 


256  SCAMPAVIAS. 

to  me,  a  collection  of  low  conical  huts,  closely  resembling  a 
cluster  of  bee-hives.  Toker  said  that  the  style  of  architecture 
was  Beezantine,  in  consequence  of  that  resemblance. 

These  hives,  as  I  afterwards  discovered,  on  getting  in  one 
of  them,  have  quite  a  number  of  circular  glass  bull's  eyes  let 
into  the  mortar  domes,  which  act  as  burning  lenses,  and 
answer  as  well  for  light  as  heat.  The  whole  affair  was  en- 
closed by  a  high  mud  wall. 

We  left  the  crowded  stre3t,  and  parting  some  heavy  cur- 
tains of  a  door-way,  found  ourselves  in  a  long,  dimly  lighted 
apartment,  perfumed  with  odoriferous  plants,  and  laid  with  rush 
matting;  while  around  the  sides  were  raised  platforms  at 
intervals — similar  to  the  couches  in  a  ward  of  an  hospital — 
where  a  goodly  number  of  the  Faithful  were  reposing,  prior 
to  the  bath.  On  either  side  from  the  centre  of  this  hall, 
branched  off  low  narrow  passages,  leading — as  I  surmised 
from  the  puffs  of  steam  which  occasionally  came  flurrying  out 
in  light  wreaths — to  the  bee-hives  beyond.  At  one  end,  sat 
a  large,  ponderous,  swarthy  Turk,  with  a  desk  before  him, 
waiting  for  the  receipt  of  custom. 

We  had  a  Greek  dragoman — Cosandi  by  name — loaned  to 
us  for  the  day,  by  a  person  of  distinction  in  Pera,  and  who,  I 
presume,  informed  the  Turkish  master  of  ceremonies,  that 
Tokcr  and  I  had  come  to  be  regularly  soaked  and  scraped,  in 
the  real  Oriental  manner. 

Hereupon  the  Turk  clapped  his  hands,  and  a  tall,  grey- 
headed, muscular  old  object,  with  a  grizzly  beard,  like  the 
ruffled  plumage  of  an  ossary,  and  paws  like  the  claws  of  a 
huge  bird,  with  no  raiment  on — to  speak  modestly  of — sud- 


PARTING    WITH    CHRISTIANS.      257 

denly  bopped  with  a  cry  into  the  hall,  from  a  cage-like  nook 
in  the  wall.  A  telegraph  of  nods  passed  between  this  hybrid 
and  his  keeper,  when  they  both  nodded  at  me,  and  the  for- 
mer crooking  his  fore-finger  in  the  direction  of  the  low  por- 
tals beyond,  I  forthwith  proceeded  to  obey. 

I  bade  farewell  to  Jack  Toker  rather  sadly,  and  following 
my  guide,  came  to  another  room,  paved  in  a  fantastic  mosaic 
of  pebbles,  with  large  comfortable  ottomans  ranged  around 
the  walls.  A  sheet  was  spread  on  one,  and  by  a  nod  and 
croak  from  the  bird,  Cosandi  began  to  divest  me  of  my  gar- 
ments. This  operation  was  no  sooner  performed,  than  a 
coarse  striped  piece  of  cloth  was  wound  around  my  waist, 
and  tell  to  my  knees ;  while  a  pair  of  high  rush  pattens  were 
thrust  on  my  feet.  Then  another  signal  was  made  by  the 
Birdy  claw  for  me  to  move  on. 

The  agony  I  endured  upon  leaving  Cosandi  was  too  deep  for 
words.  I  could  have  fallen  upon  his  brawny  bosom  and 
wept.  He  wore  a  fez  and  fustanella,  to  be  sure,  but  I  some- 
how regarded  him  as  a  Christian,  and  I  did  not  know 
whether  I  should  ever  behold  another.  I  am  not  a  remarka- 
bly timid  person  by  nature,  but  I  think  there  are  times  of 
peculiar  peril,  when  it  behooves  a  man  to  reflect  upon  what 
may  befall  him.  Cosandi  encouraged  me,  however,  to  be  of 
good  heart,  and  turning  mournfully  away  in  my  scanty  attire, 
I  mechanically  followed  my  guide  through  another  low  door- 
way and  vaulted  passage,  until,  on  looking  up,  I  found  myself 
in  one  of  the  beehives  I  had  remarked  from  without.  It 
made  a  sort  of  pentagon  of  alcoves,  and  in  each  stood  a 
deeply  sculptured  marble  bowl  bubbling  and  seething  with 


258  SCAMPAVIAS. 

hot  water,  which  fizzed,  too,  from  metal  valves  above,  and 
rushed  over  on  to  the  paved  stone  floor.  Into  one  of  these 
nooks  my  conductor  motioned  me  to  be  seated,  and,  accord- 
ingly, down  I  banged  on  a  marble  sarcophagus,  which,  from 
the  shock  it  gave  me,  I  believe  was  also  a  heated  oven. 
Hereupon  the  wretch  kicked  my  legs  from  under  me  at  an 
angle  to  suit  him — as  if  he  intended  to  chop  those  limbs  off — 
and  then  turning  his  hairy  back  upon  me,  disappeared  the 
way  he  came. 

When  I  first  entered  the  hive,  it  was  stifling,  steaming  hot, 
and  I  began  to  choke  at  the  outset.  Presently,  however, 
the  perspiration  started  in  streams  from  my  face  and  body, 
and  the  respiration  became  easier.  Still  the  Bird  did  not 
return,  and  just  as  I  began  to  cherish  hopes  that  he  would 
stay  away  altogether,  aud  leave  me  to  enjoy  the  languid 
feeling  of  ease  stealing  over  my  senses,  the  low  door  opened, 
and  in  he  hopped. 

In  one  claw  he  held  a  black  thing  like  a  carding  machine — 
which  was,  in  reality,  a  stiff  hair  glove — while  in  the  other, 
he  clutched  a  copper  bowl.  Dipping  the  last  implement 
into  the  marble  reservoir,  he  dashed  a  quart  or  two  of  scald- 
ing water  over  my  back ;  merely,  I  presume,  to  give  me  a 
skin  loosening,  and  to  test  my  powers  of  endurance.  I 
winced,  but  pride  came  to  my  aid,  and  I  refrained  from 
knocking  my  tormentor  down.  He  then  very  leisurely 
pulled  on  the  carding  apparatus,  hurled  a  copious  shower  of 
screeching  hot  water  all  over  me,  and  seizing  my  arm  like  unto 
a  pump-handle,  went  to  work  viciously.  His  motions  at  first 
were  gentle,  though  vigorous — at  least,  I  suppose  he  thought 


BOILED    DOWN.  259 

so — as  he  rasped  and  rubbed,  slapped,  rolled,  wrung, 
twisted,  snapped  and  cracked  my  body,  joints,  knuckles  and 
bones,  from  the  toes  to  the  crown  ;  but  he  became  excited 
with  the  business,  and  going  on  with  renewed  energy,  he 
succeeded,  apparently,  in  scraping  me  dry  to  the  skeleton. 
All  the  while  the  monster,  with  sinews  like  whipcord,  was 
cool  as  a  lily,  and  the  thermometer  as  high  as  it  reasonably 
could  reach. 

When  he  had  sufficiently  amused  himself  at  this  cruel  pro- 
cess, he  derisively  pitched  a  few  gallons  of  boiling  water  into 
my  face  and  eyes,  and  before  I  could  recover  my  faculties,  or 
even  shake  my  fist  at  him,  he  had  vanished.  But  I  mentally 
ejaculated,  0  !  my  Moslem  !  O  !  pride  of  my  existence  !  if  I 
only  had  you  triced  up  to  the  gratings  of  our  starboard  gang- 
way, wouldn't  I  tickle  your  brawny  back  ?  O  !  no  !  Cats,  my 
Moslem  !  cats  with  nine  stinging  tails  !  O  !  Turk ! 

There  came  another  interval  of  relief,  when  my  persecutor 
again  appeared.  This  time  with  an  enormous  copper  vessel, 
and  an  affair  similar  to  the  broad  tail  of  a  Smyrna  sheep,  or 
the  bagwig  of  a  bishop.  Without  paying  me  any  other 
attention  than  turning  a  conduit  of  hissing  steam  at  my  legs, 
which  I  cleverly  evaded,  he  busied  himself  by  rubbing  a  large 
cube  of  soap  over  the  wool  mop,  until  having  raised  a  small 
mountain  of  lather,  he  squatted  at  my  side,  and  very  care- 
fully dumped  about  a  barrelful  over  my  head  and  shoulders. 

I  was  so  thoroughly  saponaceous,  that  I  am  sure  I  could 
have  blown  soap-bubbles  all  day  long  without  even  a  pipe.  At 
the  same  time,  I  must  have  borne  a  remote  resemblance  to 
Venus  emerging  from  the  foam.  The  Bird,  however,  without 


260  SCAMPAVIAS. 

indulging  in  any  mythological  allegories,  went  into  a  series 
of  soft  polishing  sharapooings,  and  after  smarting  my  eyes, 
nose,  and  ears  with  suds,  and  finally  deluging  me  with  whole 
cataracts  of  scalding  water  from  the  tank,  he  flew  away, 
leaving  me  in  a  parboiled  state  of  soap,  to  dally  as  best  I 
might,  with  the  heaps  of  soapy  foam  piled  around  me. 

When  the  Moslem  again  entered  the  bath,  it  was  with  an 
armful  of  linen  cloths.  One  he  turbaned  round  my  head, 
another  was  passed  about  my  loins,  and  a  third  laid  over  my 
shoulders.  Now  I  was  attired  like  a  houri  going  into  Para- 
dise. Then  the  Bird,  presenting  his  talons,  led  me  back  to  the 
robing  room,  where  he  buffeted  me  over  on  an  ottoman,  tucked 
me  up  in  a  hot  sheet,  and  sitting  down,  gratefully  titillated 
his  beak  with  snuff,  out  of  a  round  tin  box,  which  was  appa- 
rently steam  tight. 

My  sufferings  being  now  at  an  end,  and  while  about  to  fall 
off  into  a  pleasant  doze,  I  was  startled  into  consciousness  by 
the  apparition  of  Jack  Toker,  emerging  from  one  of  the  dun- 
geon-like passages.  He  was  the  most  abject  picture  of  woe  I 
ever  saw  in  Europe. 

"  Isn't  it  dreadful,  Jack  ?"  I  murmured  plaintively. 

"  Dreadful !"  quoth  Toker,  with  a  horrid  imprecation,  as 
gasping  with  rage  he  rolled  himself  up  in  a  hot  sheet — "  By 
the  beard  of  Mahomet,  it's  positively  hellish.  I  knocked  my 
man  down  three  times,  but  he  got  the  better  of  me,  and  he's 
rasped  me  away  to  a  splinter,  and  broken  every  bone  in  my 
body.  All  that's  left  of  me  is  boiled  down  to  a  jelly  besides. 
Here !  Cosandi !  you  Greek  brigand,  bring  us  that  flask  of 
absinthe,  and  some  hubble  bubbles  !" 


BASHIBAZOUK.  261 

We  swallowed  a  thimbleful  of  the  tonic  from  our  private 
store,  and  narghiles  being  produced,  we  placed  the  flexile  tubes 
in  our  mouths,  and  sucked  away  reflectively. 

The  silence  remained  unbroken  for  some  minutes,  when  a 
door  opened,  and  in  stalked  a  mahogany-colored,  leather-faced 
object,  with  the  air  of  a  conqueror.  He  wore  a  dark  green 
turban  in  heavy  folds  about  his  brows,  and  a  filthy  tattered 
caftan.  His  waist  was  swathed  with  a  crimson  silk  sash,  in  front 
of  which  was  thrust  three  long  pistols,  a  yataghan  and  an 
arabesqued  dagger  ;  behind  the  belt,  dangled  a  silver  tea-ket- 
tle, and  a  watch  as  big  as  a  coffee  cup.  In  his  hand  he  held 
a  short  pipe  and  a  pouch  of  tobacco.  We  could  divine,  that 
he  sniffed  the  tainted  gale  from  the  Infidel,  the  moment  he 
darkened  the  room,  for  he  made  a  face  as  if  he  was  sitting  on 
a  dead  pig  on  a  sea-beach.  Going  to  the  furthest  end  of  the 
apartment,  he  said  his  prayers,  and  then  proceeded  to  unroll 
himself.  He  was  evidently  not  pleased,  but, 

"  'Twere  vain  to  guess  what  shook  the  pious  man 
Who  looked  not  lovingly  on  that  divan." 

"  I  say,  shipmate,"  muttered  Toker,  "  that  fellow  must  be 
a  Kurd,  he  looks  so  sour." 

"  More  likely,  in  my  opinion,"  said  I,  "  from  his  armory 
and  rig,  that  he's  a  Bashibazouk." 

Now,  whether  the  individual  I  had  reference  to,  understood 
what  we  were  saying,  or  only  caught  the  sound  of  the  last 
word,  and  was  at  enmity  with  that  race,  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
determine ;  but  certain  it  is,  that  his  blood-shot  eyes  flashed 
wicked  fire,  and  with  a  villainous  scowl,  his  hand  grasped  one 


262  SCAMPAVIAS. 

of  the  long  flint-lock  weapons,  and  he  half  drew  it  out  of  the 
sash. 

"  One  hand  is  on  his  pistol, 
On  its  ornamented  stock, 
While  his  finger  feels  the  trigger 
And  is  busy  with  the  lock 
The  other  seeks  his  yataghan, 
And  clasps  its  jewelled  hilt— 
Oh  !  much  of  gore  in  days  of  yore 
That  crooked  blade  has  spilt !" 

Toker,  however,  was  beforehand  with  him,  and  jerking  up 
his  body,  so  that  his  base  made  a  right-angled  triangle  with 
the  head  and  toes,  he  threw  back  a  cloth  at  his  side,  and  laid 
his  hand  on  a  navy-revolver,  carefully  loaded  and  capped  for 
service. 

"  Oho !  my  Bashi,"  said  Toker,  familiarly  addressing  our 
friend  by  his  first  patronymic,  and  omitting  the  Bazouk,  "  you 
mean  mischief,  eh !  my  Bashi  ?"  Then  he  added,  sternly, 
"  This  is  what  we  dogs  call  a  six  shooter,  designed  by  Cadi 
Colt,  and  if  you  expose  another  inch  of  that  ironmongery  stuck 
about  your  filthy  carcase,  I'll  make  dog's  meat  of  you;  a 
regular  mortuum  caput,  in  fact,  that  is  a  dead-head  ;  so  mind 
your  eye,  oh  !  my  Bazouk  !" 

I  began  to  feel  a  little  uneasy  and  nervous  at  the  turn  the 
affair  was  taking,  for  I  knew  that  Jack  Toker  was  all  the 
more  dangerous  when  most  polite ;  and  when  roused,  would 
think  no  more  of  depriving  the  Sultan  of  a  valuable  subject, 
than  of  smoking  a  pipe.  In  that  case,  I  felt  rather  doubtful 
if  there  might  not  be  a  couple  of  vacancies  in  our  own  mess 
before  we  could  reach  the  Frigate.  Our  antagonist,  however, 
was  more  prudent  than  I  at  first  thought  him,  and  dropping 


SLAYING    JANISSARIES.          263 

his  hold  on  the  pistol,  he  spat  his  venom  upon  the  pavement, 
and  then  strided  in  his  naked  majesty  through  the  door- 
way. 

Our  time  having  now  expired,  we  donned  our  raiment. 
Cosandi  played  purse-bearer,  and  finding  Captain  Bangs  with 
the  horses  in  waiting,  we  mounted  and  rode  off. 

First  we  went  to  the  Seraskier  tower,  which  we  ascended, 
and  had  a  glorious  view  of  the  city  and  Bosphorus.  Then 
we  descended  to  the  subterranean  reservoirs  of  the  Thousand 
Columns ;  but  these,  similar  to  the  superlatives  of  French 
cafe's,  in  reality  contained  but  two  hundred  and  twenty-four. 
It  was  in  ancient  times,  an  underground  series  of  wells,  built 
by  Constantine,  to  water  strangers  coming  to  Stamboul,  but  is 
now  a  damp,  dark  excavation,  partly  used  for  a  sort  of  silk- 
spinning  manufactory. 

From  here  we  visited  the  museum  Elbicei-Atika,  of  the 
Janissaries,  where  wax  figures  are  dressed  in  the  same  costumes 
in  which  that  band  of  soldiers  were  massacred. 

Here  let  me  pause  a  moment,  and  say,  that  this  horde  of 
insolent  pretoriens,  who  took  the  name  of  Janissary  from  the 
fur  caps  they  wore,  were  butchered  by  the  nerve  and  bravery 
of  Mahmoud,  which  saved  Turkey,  at  the  time,  from  absolute 
ruin.  It  began  in  1826,  by  the  attempt  to  introduce  reform 
in  the  tactics  of  the  Turkish  army,  by  means  of  European 
instructors.  A  blow  was  given  to  a  Janissary  by  one  of  these 
instructors.  His  comrades  instantly  capsized  their  camp- 
kettles — their  usual  sign  of  revolt,  in  refusing  to  eat  the  Sul- 
tan's food — and  threatened  to  set  fire  to  the  city.  They  sur- 
rounded the  palace  of  their  Aga,  and  demanded  the  head  of 


264:  SOAMPAVIAS. 

the  Grand  Vizier.  It  would  seem  from  this,  that  in  those 
days,  it  was  necessary  for  Grand  Viziers  to  have  as  many 
heads  as  Hydra,  since  they  were  so  often  wanted  to  be 
chopped  off.  Old  Mahmoud,  however,  hurried  to  the  scene 
of  action,  united  his  faithful  troops,  convoked  the  Ulemas, 
occupied  the  mosque  of  Achmet,  near  the  hippodrome,  and 
unfurled  the  sacred  standard  of  the  Prophet,  which  is  never 
raised  unless  the  empire  is  in  danger. 

The  Janissaries,  meanwhile,  entrenched  themselves  in  the 
Atmeidan  square,  near  their  barracks,  but  the  regular  troops 
commanded  the  approaches  with  cannon.  Then  brave  old 
Mahmoud,  thoroughly  master  of  the  situation,  strode  up  to 
his  rebellious  cohorts,  and  ordered  them  to  lay  down  their 
arms  and  surrender.  These,  however,  were  terms  unknown 
in  the  Janissary  vocabulary ;  the  camp-kettles  remained  upside 
down ;  the  action  began,  and  continued  until  the  entire  corps, 
of  full  twenty  thousand,  were  slaughtered. 

From  the  Atmeidan  and  its  obelisques,  we  looked  into  a 
dozen  mosques  and  tombs  of  the  sultans,  and  then  with  a 
parting  peep  into  Saint  Sophia,  we  galloped  out  of  Stamboul. 

Gaining  the  elevated  plains  back  of  the  town — where  an 
army  of  famished  dogs  were  encamped  for  the  day — we  rode 
on  a  few  miles,  when,  descending  to  a  narrow  meadow,  we 
came  to  a  small  muddy  stream — where  oxen  and  buffaloes 
were  wallowing — and  halted  at  the  valley  of  Sweet  Waters. 
Here  also,  were  a  few  regiments  of  dogs  skirmishing  and 
foraging  on  offal  in  the  neighborhood.  No  one  owns 
these  brutes,  and  no  one  would,  as  property,  if  he  could. 
Some  of  them  resemble  long-legged  French  pigs — others, 


SWEET    WATERS.  265 

Brobdingnag  rats — while  the  major  part  have  the  physiog- 
nomy of  the  Muscovite  wolf,  or  the  California  coyote.  There 
is  not  one  whose  ribs — like  the  hoops  of  an  old  barrel — 
don't  protrude  through  the  scrawny  hide ;  and  no  one  ever 
saw  them  wag  their  "  organs  of  recognition,"  or  look  with  any 
show  of  affection  upon  a  human  being.  The  well-fed  dogs — 
who  are  on  the  staff,  as  it  were — lie  about  the  streets  of  the 
cities  in  the  day-time  undisturbed,  but  the  irregular  troops  of 
the  line,  prowl  over  the  suburbs  for  carrion  or  battle  until 
nightfall,  when  they  trot  to  their  respective  quarters,  and 
howl  hideously  in  suicidal  notes,  all  night. 

At  the  Sweet  Waters,  a  few  stragglers  would  occasionally 
leave  the  main  body,  and  come  sniffing  and  snarling  about 
our  horses'  feet.  There  was  no  doubt  that  they  were  hungry, 
for  they  seemed  to  take  a  violent,  and  rather  snappish  fancy 
to  Captain  Bangs'  legs — whose  calves  were  eminently  respect- 
able— to  his  very  great  annoyance;  evidently  wishing  to 


"  On  the  tempting  limb, 

Like  a  shark  on  the  leg  of  a  nigger." 

The  Sweet  Waters  are  a  branch  of  the  head  tributaries 
of  the  Golden  Horn,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  are  a 
great  resort  for  Constantine  cockneys,  who  come  hither  on 
keffs  or  pic-nics.  The  banks  are  fringed  with  noble  ranges 
of  trees,  which  fling  a  grateful  shade  over  the  road,  and  there 
are  numerous  summer  houses  in  the  Italian  style — one  of 
grim  old  Mahmoud — dotted  about  the  groves  upon  the  banks 
or  islets  of  the  waters,  while  herons  and  swans  swim  between, 
and  slender  white  Chinese  bridges  span  the  stream. 

12 


266  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Crossing  to  the  right  bank,  we  again  coursed  up  the  hills 
to  a  plateau  beyond,  and  came  to  the  great  barracks  erected 
by  Mahmoud.  On  demanding  admittance  at  the  gateways, 
we  were,  at  first,  rather  churlishly  refused,  but  in  the  act  of 
moving  away,  we  were  summoned  back,  politely  received  by 
the  officer  in  command,  taken  to  a  reception  room,  squatted 
on  divans,  and  regaled  with  pipes  and  coffee.  Afterwards, 
we  visited  the  soldiers'  quarters,  which  occupied  all  sides  of 
the  vast  quadrangular  building,  and  found  them  remarkably 
well  ventilated  and  clean.  The  barracks  are  capable  of  bil- 
leting ten  thousand  men,  but  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  there 
were  but  fifteen  hundred ;  their  companions  having  been 
hurried  off  to  serve  with  Omar  Pasha  at  the  Balkans. 

The  prospect  from  the  plain  upon  which  the  barracks 
stand,  is  one  of  the  finest  from  any  point  near  Constantino- 
ple. You  look  down  upon  the  Golden  Horn  for  its  whole 
length  ;  take  in  the  immense  suburbs  and  cities  of  Starnboul, 
Scutari,  Galata,  and  Pera,  where  the  white  minarets — ever  a 
beautiful  feature  in  the  landscape — gleam  up  from  amid  the 
dark  green  foliage  ;  and  then  the  view  embraces  the  winding 
Bosphorus,  with  its  myriads  of  vessels ;  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
decked  with  islands ;  and  beyond  the  hills  and  mountains 
which  close  around  the  distant  horizon. 

Returning,  we  trotted  along  the  Stamboul  side  until  we 
reached  the  Horn,  where  we  crossed  the  upper  bridge  above 
the  arsenal ;  and  where,  for  two  mortal  hours,  we  twined  and 
threaded  the  endless,  narrow  paths  of  the  ravines.  Some- 
times we  would  get  bewildered  in  a  gloomy  cemetery,  and 
surrounded  by  bands  of  yelping,  savage  curs,  who  started  up 


A  STAMPEDE  AT  STAMBOUL.   267 

like  famished  spectres  from  the  recesses  of  the  tombs  and 
cypresses.  Again,  we  became  lost  down  amid  filthy  lanes 
and  hovels,  where  the  projecting  lattices  nearly  picked  our 
eyes  out  as  we  rode  by.  We  also  encountered  more  starving 
dogs,  and  slovenly  women,  wrapped  in  gauze  feridjees,  wear- 
ing yellow  slipshod  boots  to  correspond  with  their  com- 
plexions. Yet,  again,  we  would  mount  a  slope,  and  come 
upon  half-naked  groups  of  imps  of  children,  attended  by  vil- 
lainous-looking negro  wenches — long  and  lanky,  walking 
like  wet  cats — who  evinced  their  delight  by  casting  stones 
and  spitting  at  us.  At  last,  we  reached  the  Jewish  Ghetto, 
where 

"  All  the  fleas  in  Jewry 
Jumped  up  and  bit  like  fury," 

and  where  we  saw  hosts  of  the  real  Shylock  breed ;  glorious 
studies  for  Rembrandt,  in  ho:  les  of  scrofulous  lepers,  of  thes3 
descendants  of  Abraham  ;  and  there  were  the  women  too, 
glaring  with  their  sharp,  unearthly  eyes,  down  upon  us  from 
the  lattices. 

In  all  these  places — in  the  silent  Turkish  quarter,  as  well 
as  in  the  Babel  Phanar  of  the  Levites — we  beheld  vile  nests 
of  bakers  and  pilaus  shops,  and  nasty  cafes,  festering  with  the 
living  maggots  of  the  population,  and  all  bearing  the  lowest 
type  of  squalid  misery,  filth,  and  wretchedness. 

Riding  through  the  abode  of  the  Jews,  we  came  to  the 
more  open  streets  of  Galata  and  Pera,  and  shortly  after  joy- 
fully dismounted  at  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre. 

Here  we  had  dinner,  with  Burgundy  and  pipes,  and  after- 
wards a  regular  row  with  the  Effendi  of  the  caravanserai — Mon- 


268  SOAMPAVIAS. 

sieur  Mysseri.  This  publican — from  the  prestige  of  his  renown 
in  a  book  entitled  Eothen* — assumes  to  be  one  of  the  most 
powerful  Agas — Pashas  even — in  the  Sultan's  dominions. 
The  way-worn  traveller  can  behold  him  at  all  times,  seated 
in  an  elegantly  carved  frame,  attired  in  a  profusion  of  rich 
furs  and  velvet,  with  a  shiny  hat  between  his  fingers  and 
thumb,  looking  dovtn  patronizingly  upon  his  own  state  saloon. 
We  had  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  the  sleek  Sieur  Mys- 
seri was  a  sharper  of  eminence.  He  charged  California 
prices,  which  we  did  not  cavil  at,  but  when  he  only  allowed 
twenty-three  piastres  for  French  dollars,  and  twenty-four  for 
the  Colonnati  coin — about  one-fourth  less  their  value — we  ex- 
pressed our  opinion  of  him  in  very  strong  and  decided  Saxon. 
The  guide  and  horse  boys,  too,  taking  the  cue  from  their 
master,  tried  the  same  game  of  extortion,  and  festooning 
themselves  around  our  skirts,  bellowed  for  more  backsheesh. 
At  every  repetition,  however,  of  this  demand,  we  gave  it  to 
them,  where  they  seemed  to  want  it,  with  the  toes  of  our 
boots,  until  they  were  driven  from  our  presence. 

It  was  now  quite  dark ;  the  muezzins  had  long  ceased 
their  shrill,  melodious  cries  from  the  mosques,  and  the 
minarets  were  sparkling  with  ever-shifting  lamps;  when, 
attended  by  boys,  with  paper  lanterns,  we  drew  our  pistols, 
and  felt  the  way  carefully  down  to  Top-Hand.  This  populous 

*  The  consequential  author  of  this  famous  production,  gives  us  as  fair  an 
idea  of  the  peculiar  manners  and  customs  of  the  Orientals,  as  an  ourang  outang 
might  form  from  his  cage  in  Regents'  Park  of  the  cockneys  of  London.  Eothen 
appears  to  have  been  a  newly  fledged  Proctor  from  Oxford,  or  a  pettifogging 
lawyer  of  the  Temple,  in  the  chrysalis  state  between  a  Puseyite  and  a  votary  at 
the  Holy  Sepulchre 


LAMP    LANGUAGE. 


quarter  was  a  blaze  of  light.  The  fruit  markets,  pilaus  shops, 
and  cafes,  were  thronged,  and  the  pious  Mussulmans  were 
making  amends  for  their  diurnal  fast  in  Ramazan.  The 
Turk,  however,  is  pious  and  simple  in  his  tastes.  He  has 
but  one  book  and  one  dish — the  Koran  and  Kebobs — so  that 
he  need  not  go  far  to  be  satisfied. 

We  entered  a  large  open  cafe"  on  the  point,  and  reclining 
on  benches  near  the  spray  of  a  fountain,  we  indulged  in 
ices  and  narghiles.  We  amused  ourselves  the  while,  gazing 
at  the  novel  illuminations  which  flashed  out  from  mosque 
and  minaret  far  and  near  along  the  Bosphorus.  W"e  watched, 
too,  the  silent,  rapid  transformations  of  various  maxims  of 
the  Koran — all  the  more  impressive,  in  the  absence  of 
chimes  or  carillons  of  bells — as  they  came  and  went  in  the 
myriads  of  twinkling  lamps. 

It  was,  nevertheless,  refreshing  to  stretch  our  jaded  frames 
on  the  soft  rugs  of  a  quivering  caique,  and  under  the  skillful 
pilotage  of  one  Ibraham,  to  be  pulled  out  into  the  cooling 
atmosphere  of  the  Golden  Horn,  and  once  more  go  to  rest  on 
board  the  frigate. 


270 


Chapter    XXIV. 

My  boy !"  said  he,  "  amidst  this  motley  crew, 
Of  Georgians,  Russians,  Nubians,  and  what  not, 
All  ragamuffins,  differing  but  in  hue, 
With  whom  it  is  our  luck  to  cast  our  lot, 
The  only  gentlemen  seem  I  and  you." 


Frankincense. 

IN  the  cool  of  the  mornings,  the  bazaars  of  Stamboul 
present  a  very  interesting  study.  You  can  ruin  yourself 
there,  and  be  unblushingly  cheated  with  the  greatest  ease 
imaginable.  You  meet  there  rascals  of  all  the  races  of  the 
East ;  Kurds,  Armenians,  Jews,  Persians,  Nubians,  Tartars, 


FRANKINCENSE.  271 

Tunisians,  Circassians,  Afghans,  and  Bashibazouks.  The 
Jews  and  Armenians,  however,  are  the  sellers  in  detail ; 
the  other  merchants  have  their  Khans,  where  the  cargoes 
of  camels  and  ships  are  stored,  and  merchandise  disposed 
of  by  the  bale.  The  slipper,  silk  and  seed  bazaars  develop 
the  gayest  sights,  but  the  arms  bazaar  is  by  far  the  most 
curious  of  all.  Strange  to  say,  smoking  is  defendu  there. 
You  may  buy  there  anything,  from  an  antique  ring  worn 
by  the  Prophet,  to  the  sword  of  Scanderbeg.  Rare  old 
coins,  gems,  silverware,  strings  of  pearls,  gold  or  copper  pots, 
oriental  guns,  of  bars  of  steel  frapped  together,  and  the 
queerest  of  locks ;  yataghans  and  daggers,  of  Damascus 
workmanship,  richly  inlaid  with  gold,  arid  embossed  scab- 
bards which 

"  Were  those  that  once  a  Pasha  wore, 
Which  still,  though  gemm'd  and  boss'd  with  gold, 
Even  robbers  tremble  to  behold ;" 

precious  stones,  gun-powder,  amulets,  antique  china;  carved 
furniture ;  beads,  horse-gear ;  together  with  an  infinite 
variety  of  costumes,  from  a  sheepskin  Tartar  robe,  to  the 
vest  for  an  EfFendi,  ranging  in  price  from  a  few  paras  to 
thousands  of  dollars.  All  these  articles,  and  many  more,  are 
to  be  had  in  the  arms  bazaar.  Most  of  them,  however, 
are  disposed  of  by  lottery  or  raffle,  and  the  din  and  hubbub 
attending  these  sales,  in  every  known  dialect,  is  deafening. 

To  visit  these  marts  as  a  mere  observer  of  strange  people 
and  things,  is  highly  diverting,  but  as  a  matter  of  business,  it 
is  quite  the  reverse.  If  you  wish  to  make  purchases,  as  you 
don't  speak  the  language,  of  course  you  must  have  an  inter- 


272  SCAMPAVIAS. 

preter.  He  will  be  a  Jew  or  Armenian,  who  comes  with  a 
book  filled  with  recommendations  from  helpless  Franks 
who  have  been  fleeced  before  you,  but,  nevertheless,  in  the 
end  you  will  find  that  your  interpreter  is  a  great  rogue. 

For  example,  I  was  told  by  a  man  high  in  rank  in  Pera, 
that  a  certain  person  who  sold  silks  and  rugs  of  the  Persian 
loom,  in  the  silk  bazaar,  was  the  honestest  fellow  outside  of 
Christendom.  To  this  prodigy  I  straightway  went,  but  after 
making  my  purchases,  what  was  my  horror  to  learn  from 
some  English  ladies,  who  possessed  a  knowledge  of  these 
fabrics,  that  he  was  par  excellence  the  veriest  scamp  ever 
circumcised;  and  had  sold  them  a  second-hand  carpet  for 
new,  to  establish  that  reputation. 

Again,  in  the  article  of  otto  of  rose,  I  was  especially  recom- 
mended to  a  vender,  whose  whole  life  from  infancy  up,  had 
been  passed  amid  those  delicate  perfumes  ;  and  he  was  said  to 
be  the  most  virtuous  Mohammedan  that  ever  wore  beard,  or 
entered  mosque.  All  Asia  had  not  his  equal  for  probity,  and 
he  would  rather  eat  a  dog  in  broad  day  in  Ramazan,  and 
curse  Allah  to  boot,  than  sell  a  spurious  article.  Oh  !  no  ! 
not  he. 

Being  further  strengthened  in  spirit,  by  the  information 
that  the  genuine  essence  of  roses  should  congeal  at  a  tempera- 
ture where  gutta  percha  ought  to  melt,  I  forthwith  deter- 
mined to  lay  in  my  stock  for  half  a  century  to  come. 

My  worthy  dragoman  soon  trailed  me  along  to  the 
designated  shop,  and  there,  ensconced  behind  a  little  desk,  sat 
the  honest  Moslem.  On  a  low  ottoman  hard  by,  squatted  a 
Persian  potentate,  who,  I  was  assured,  was  a  relation — on 


FRANKINCENSE.  273 

the  mother's  side,  probably — of  the  Prophet  himself,  as  was 
denoted  by  his  green  turban,  and  a  beard  flowing  to  his  gir- 
dle. He  \vas  likewise  deputed  to  act  as  umpire.  "  Salaam 
Aleikum !"  said  they  both.  First,  there  was  an  imploration 
from  my  dragoman  to  the  keeper  of  the  scent-shop  to  sell  the 
veritable  stuff.  Whereupon  the  last  named  individual  elevat- 
ed his  eyes  to  a  gorgeous  old  yellow  rug  hanging  against  the 
wall — as  to  a  spirit,  and  as  if  Mahomet  was  peering  out  of  a 
pattern  thereof; — while,  at  the  same  time,  I  thought  the  Per- 
sian squatter  was  going  to  fall  on  his  face  without  further 
warning,  and  say  his  prayers  outright  at  the  mere  suspicion ! 
After  this  display  of  almost  seraphic  honesty,  I  would  have 
placed  my  purse  and  person  in  their  hands. 

Presently  a  small  cupboard  was  opened,  and  there  I  beheld 
a  couple  of  square  case  bottles  containing  pale  yellow  fluids. 

"  Now !  Hamet !"  says  my  dragoman,  with  a  serious  wag 
to  his  beard,  as  if  in  caution. 

"  0  !  o-o-h-a  !  Listen,  oh  my  lamb !  my  soul  !  Joy  of  my 
Liver  !"  he  said  in  the  beautiful  language  of  the  East.  u  0  ! 
ki  bilurtzen !" — By  she  we  both  think  of — swore  the  otto  mer- 
chant affectionately ;  and  then  his  oily  fingers  went  up  and 
he  took  down  the  yellowest  bottle — which  was  frozen  almost 
solid — placed  it  carefully  on  a  stand,  with  a  tin-box  of  blad- 
ders, and  a  pair  of  scissors,  before  him. 

All  around  the  shop,  too,  were  ranged  lots  of  jars,  canisters, 
jugs,  and  even  demijohns,  containing,  no  doubt  the  same 
precious  oil  as  that  on  the  table ;  and  no  question  either,  but 
that  it  could  have  been  bought  by  the  quart,  gallon,  or  hogs- 
head, had  the  demand  been  made.  There  was,  at  the  same 

12* 


274  SOAMPAVIAS. 

time,  such  a  nauseous  compound  of  smells — musk,  sandal,  aloes, 
and  bergamot — that  it  took  me  several  consecutive  baths  to 
drive  the  taste  out  of  my  mouth. 

The  next  operation  was  to  immerse  the  bottle  in  a  tin  re- 
servoir of  hot  water,  so  as  to  dissolve  the  yellow  congealation. 
But  no  Christian  would  believe — who  has  not  witnessed  a 
similar  interesting  operation — that  I  actually  waited  with  per- 
fect inward  satisfaction,  and  saw  this  otto  boiled  down  to  a 
fluid  state,  under  the  mistaken  belief  that  it  was  the  very 
quintessence  of  pressed  rose  leaves ! 

After  this  liquefaction  had  taken  place,  I  chose  some 
pretty  little  gilded  bottles.  There  was  bargaining  and 
higgling  about  the  price ;  I,  of  course,  relying  upon  the  guide 
and  not  understanding  a  syllable  of  what  was  said  by  the 
rogues.  Finally,  I  was  told  the  lowest  para  was  reached ; 
the  oil  was  weighed  by  drams,  the  bottles  carefully  sealed 
and  paid  for.  Then  it  was  understood  that  if  I  would  keep 
the  affair  a  profound  secret,  I  might  buy  out  the  entire 
shop. 

I  went  off  to  the  frigate  in  a  transport  of  joy,  and  perfumed 
like  a  muskrat;  but  on  exhibiting  my  mixture  to  an  expe- 
rienced old  Greek  pilot  we  had  on  board,  he  assured  me 
I  had  been  cheated.  This,  of  itself,  was  sufficiently  pro- 
voking, but  not  being  convinced,  I  consulted  Liebig  and 
Stockhardts — both,  I  believe,  received  authorities  in  organic 
chemistry.  There,  to  my  dismay,  I  learned  that  otto  of  roses 
is  a  "yellowish  thick  fluid,  with  flakes  resembling  tallow 
floating  in  it;"  and  that  it  takes  one  hundred  pounds  of 
fresh  roses  to  make  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  oil. 


FRANKINCENSE.  275 

Now,  how  in  the  name  of  common  sense  could  I,  or  any  one 
else,  as  a  non-chemist,  detect .  the  difference  between  real 
tallow  and  the  resemblance;  or  know  how  many  hundred 
pounds  of  rose-leaves  had  been  squeezed  into  my  oil  ? 

I  resolved,  however,  to  push  my  researches  still  further, 
and  accordingly,  under  the  lee  of  our  Greek  Palinurus,  I  went 
to  a  mild  and  benevolent-visaged  old  Turk,  who  was,  indeed, 
a  real  Tunisian  trader.  His  retreat  was — Allah  and  the 
dogs  only  know  where — in  a  remote  part  of  somewhere, 
at  the  end  of  a  dark  court  in  Stamboul.  Outside  the  shop  or 
khan  were  piled  bales  of  carpets  and  rugs  from  Ispahan; 
with  shawls  and  silks  in  bulk  from  Broussa  and  Thibet.  The 
softest  haired  goats  from  all  Cashmere,  Angora,  and  Tartary, 
had  no  doubt  contributed  their  offerings.  Within  was  a  long 
divan,  and  the  floor  was  strewed  with  quaint- shaped  jugs  and 
canisters.  A  chibouque  was  brought  me ;  a  negro  imp  laid 
a  live  coal  on  the  bowl,  and  after  a  few  preliminary  whiffs 
and  a  dignified  silence,  I  produced  a  bottle  of  the  ingredient 
I  had  procured  of  honest  Hamet  in  the  bazaar. 

The  venerable  Tunisian  received  the  phial  with  as  much 
distrust  as  if  it  had  been  a  live  rattlesnake,  and  his  patri- 
archal beard  became  tremulous.  He  gave  the  little  bottle  a 
shake,  then  shook  his  head,  and  holding  it  up  to  the  light, 
he  calmly  imparted  some  oracular  intelligence  to  the  Pilot. 

"  What  does  the  patriarch  say,  Demetri  ?"  I  ventured  to 
ask.  "  He  say,  sar,"  spoke  up  Demetri,  "  zat  ze  pure  otto 
rose  do  nevvar  congeal,  and  zat  you  buy  him  a  preparashun 
ov  de  wax,  and  mush  bad  wax  old  man  say  am,  too." 

I  dashed  down  my  pipe,  respectfully  salaamed  my  thanks 


276  SCAMPAVIAS. 

to  the  venerable  Tunisian,  and  returned  to  the  ship  a  madder 
and  a  wiser  man,  resolving  henceforth  never  again  to  enter 
the  perfume  markets  of  the  East.  It  was  remarked,  how- 
ever, spitefully  by  my  messmates  on  getting  on  board,  that 
instead  of  bringing  off  Frankincense,  I  came  off  an  incensed 
Frank. 


CRUISE    IN    A    CAIQUE. 


277 


Chapter    XXV. 

The  European  with  the  Asian  shore 

Sprinkled  with  palaces ;  the  ocean  stream, 

Here  and  there  studded  with  a  seventy-four ; 

Sophia's  cupola  with  golden  gleam ; 

The  cypress  groves  ;  Olympus  high  and  hoar 

The  twelve  isles,  and  the  more  than  I  could  dream, 

Far  less  describe,  present  the  very  view 

Which  charmed  the  charming  Mary  Montagu," 


Cruise    in    a    Caique. 

ONE  pleasant  afternoon  I  was  invited  to  take  a  cruise 
up  the  Bosphorus  in  the  English  yacht  Genevra.  She  was 
owned  by  Sir  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley — the  son  of  the  Poet — 
who,  with  his  charming  lady,  were  making  a  tour  of  the 


278  SCAMPAVIAS. 

Mediterranean.  The  vessel  itself  was  a  little  beauty, 
schooner-rigged,  and  fitted  with  luxurious  saloons,  cabins, 
and  baths. 

I  would  much  prefer,  as  a  matter  of  mere  taste,  to  live 
permanently  on  the  dry  land;  but  if  one  will  roll  about 
the  water — at  every  angle,  save  the  perpendicular — why  a 
staunch,  snug  yacht,  well  manned  and  sailed,  is  not  a 
residence  to  be  despised.  You  carry  your  bed  and  board 
with  you,  and  when  in  port,  you  are  not  put  to  shift  for 
lodgings,  or  suffer  the  unavoidable  discomforts  of  voyagers, 
with  couriers  and  post-coaches.  It  is  an  expensive  under- 
taking, however,  though  with  a  trifle  of  ten  or  twelve 
thousand  pounds  sterling  a  year,  the  thing  can  be  accom- 
plished. 

We  got  underway,  with  a  steam-tug  ahead,  and  winding 
amidst  the  maze  of  shipping  waiting  for  a  breeze  to  drive 
them  into  the  Black  Sea,  we  held  our  course  up  the  Strait. 

As  you  ascend,  the  views  are  exceedingly  picturesque,  but 
the  general  aspect  of  the  country  is  similar  to  that  about 
Constantinople.  For  a  great  distance  along  the  banks  of  the 
Bosphorus,  on  both  sides,  is  lined  with  dwellings,  kiosks, 
palaces,  and  gardens.  The  gardens,  however,  are  generally 
hidden  in  rear  of  the  buildings,  and  thus  one  great  effect 
in  landscape — waving  and  drooping  foliage — is  lost ;  but  the 
Turks,  as  I  have  heretofore  remarked,  prefer  to  smoke  their 
tobacco  directly  over  the  water. 

About  midway  up,  on  the  western  shore,  stands  the  castle 
of  Europe.  It  is  a  quaint  old  collection  of  crenulated  walls 
and  towers,  but  quite  in  ruins.  Beyond,  the  stream  comes 


CRUISE    IN    A    CAIQUE.  279 

down  with  a  rush,  at  a  place  called  Mega  reuma,  or  the 
Devil's  Current;  and  further  still,  the  Bosphorus  takes  a 
curving  bend  at  Therapia  and  Buyukdere.  It  was  here, 
I  believe,  where  Darius  crossed  to  make  war  upon  the 
Scythians,  and  where,  also,  the  Eastern  hordes  crossed  in 
their  invasion  of  Europe.  The  Turkish  fleet  was  anchored  in 
this  bight,  the  van  held  by  the  Mahmoud,  a  three-decker,  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  guns. 

At  Buyukdere,  where  are  some  of  the  summer  palaces  and 
gardens  of  the  foreign  embassies,  we  dropt  anchor ;  and 
after  a  pleasant  dinner  on  board  the  Genevra,  I  went  on  shore 
and  took  lodgings  at  the  quiet  little  hotel  of  La  Pierre. 

While  smoking  a  pipe  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  on 
the  veranda,  I  entered  into  conversation  with  an  intelligent 
gentleman,  who,  perhaps,  observing  by  my  uniform  that  I  was 
an  American  officer,  talked  very  frankly  upon  the  grave 
question  Turque,  then  pending.  He  likewise  politely  volun- 
teered to  take  me  the  next  morning  in  his  caique  to  the 
Black  Sea.  I  accepted,  and  at  sunrise  we  stepped  into  a 
commodious  caique,  manned  by  two  Greek  caique-jees,  and 
set  out  on  our  cruise. 

By  the  way,  these  caiques  are  the  only  graceful  moving 
things  in  the  East.  They  are  frail  as  egg-shells,  and  shaped 
like  bean-pods — sharp  at  both  ends — and  the  steersman 
sits  on  a  little  raised  deck  in  the  stern.  The  oars  have  large 
bulbous  looms,  with  crescents  cut  out  of  the  outer  blades,  and 
accurately  balanced  by  swivels  on  the  gunwales.  There  are 
not  seats  for  passengers,  but  they  recline  on  cushions  or  rugs 
in  the  after  part  of  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  The  rowers,  who 


280  SCAMPAVIAS. 

are  uncommonly  handsome  Arnouts,  in  red  fezzes  with  blue 
silk  tassels,  white  gauze  caftans,  and  wearing  no  beard,  save 
the  moustache,  pull  like  clock-work,  in  a  measured  quick 
stroke ;  their  arms  doing  all  the  labor,  while  the  dark-carved, 
or  gilded  caiques  skim  with  their  raised  prows  like  sea- 
serpents  over  the  waves. 

During  this  excursion,  I  paid  considerable  attention  to  the 
defences  of  the  Straits,  and  examined  as  well  as  I  could  from 
the  water,  the  batteries — permanent  and  temporary — which 
had  been  thrown  up  to  defend  the  passage.  There  were 
twelve  batteries,  but  all  miserably  mounted  with  cannon 
of  light  calibre  on  fixed  carriages,  and  very  imperfect  means 
of  handling  them.  They  would  not,  in  fact,  have  been  able 
to  hold  out  five  minutes  from  a  resolute  assault  by  land 
or  sea.  At  the  extreme  outer  point,  where  stands  a  light- 
house— like  the  one  on  the  opposite  Cape,  without  lamps — 
we  saw  a  battalion  of  Turkish  artillery  unloading  from  large 
flat  barges,  guns  and  shot.  The  guns  were  of  bronze — long, 
unwieldy,  and  not  fit  for  service.  The  balls  were  of  various 
diameters,  and  not  one  in  ten  would  enter  the  muzzles  of  the 
pieces. 

"  Voyez !  Monsieur,"  said  my  companion,  after  he  had 
quietly  counted  and  noted  down  in  a  little  book  all  we  had 
seen  of  the  Turkish  defences.  "  Se«  what  vain  efforts  these 
barbarians  are  making  to  resist  the  Black  Sea  fleet  of  sixteen 
ships  of  the  line  ?  Look,  too !  at  those  half-manned  Otto- 
man frigates  planted  there  in  straight  line,  when  one  heavy 
broadside  would  rake  and  sink  them  all  !  In  five  days  from 
the  order,  the  Russians  could  be  in  the  Golden  Horn  with 


CRUISE    IN    A    CAIQUE.  281 

their  fleet  and  forty  thousand  troops  ;  and  then  where  would 
be  the  Allies.  But,  bah  !"  he  continued,  "  the  French  and 
English  will  never  ally  themselves  to  Turkey." 

In  this  last  conviction,  my  friend  proved  out  of  his  reckon- 
ing, for  not  long  after,  as  all  the  world  knows,  the  alliance 
was  formed,  and  the  combined  fleets  blocked  up  the  Bospho- 
rus  with  a  bulwark  of  near  four  thousand  cannon.  He  was 
right,  however,  in  the  first  views  he  expressed,  and  had  the 
Czar  made  a  demonstration  by  sea,  the  Western  powers 
would  never  have  landed  a  soldier  on  the  banks  of  the  Bos- 
phorus,  or  even  entered  the  Dardanelles. 

As  for  the  actual  resistance  the  Turks  could  have  offered, 
it  was,  in  their  own  figurative  language,  mere  bosh.  They 
had  the  opportunity  for  trying  their  metal  in  the  November 
following,  at  Sinope  ;  with  what  disastrous  results — and  all 
caused  by  their  own  imbecility  and  cowardice — is  now  pretty 
widely  understood.  On  the  other  hand,  I  undertake  to  say, 
that  notwithstanding  the  preponderance  of  force  on  the  side 
of  the  Russians,  there  never  was  known,  in  naval  warfare,  so 
complete  and  entire  an  annihilation  in  so  short  a  time  as  that 
of  the  Ottoman  squadron.  Had  this  squadron  been  "painted 
ships  upon  a  painted  ocean,"  and  set  up  as  a  target,  there 
could  not  have  been,  even  as  a  matter  of  practice,  greater 
skill  displayed.  The  Russians  came  into  the  bay  under  all 
sail ;  anchored  within  a  thousand  yards  of  their  object,  and 
in  less  than  two  hours  from  the  time  the  fire  was  opened,  the 
Turkish  fleet  was  absolutely  destroyed. 

The  only  material  damage  the  Russians  sustained  in  the 
action,  was  from  contemptible  little  earth  batteries  on  shore, 


282 


CAM  PA  VI  AS. 


which  cut  away  a  mast  or  two,  and  killed  a  score  or  more 
of  men ;  but  their  fleet  sailed  the  next  day  for  Sevastopol 
leaving  only  blown  up  and  sunken  wrecks,  burning  timbers, 
and  mutilated  corpses,  which  once  composed  a  squadron 
manned  by  nearly  five  thousand  Osmanlis. 

If  this  result  does  not  exhibit  clearly  what  efficiency  is  in 
the  Muscovite  navy,  I  should  like  to  hear  of  some  better 
example.  Again,  if  it  required  but  a  portion  of  the  Black 
Sea  fleet  to  make  this  havoc,  what  would  have  been  the  fate 
of  Constantinople  had  the  passage  of  the  Bosphorus  been 
attempted  ? 

We  rowed  from  side  to  side  of  the  two  promontories  which 
guard  the  entrance  to  the  Strait.  Great  flocks  of  marine 
swallows,  or  les  ames  damnees,  were  skimming  up  and  down 
on  untiring  wings,  sacred  from  shot  or  missile.  The  Black 
Sea  rolls  in  like  a  dreary  ocean,  with  a  dull  roar,  upon  the 
gloomy,  rock-bound,  craggy  coast,  and  then  forcing  its  waters 
between  the  bold  sterile  head-lands,  drives  the  current,  in 
pleasing  contrast,  within  the  verdure-covered  banks  of  the 
lovely  Bosphorus. 

Towards  meridian  our  caique's  prow  was  turned  down  the 
stream,  and  we  floated  quietly  back  to  Buyukdere'.  There, 
disembarking  at  the  upper  end  of  the  village,  we  walked 
along  a  high  stone  wall,  which  shut  in  a  magnificent  forest, 
and  coming,  presently,  to  a  small  door  let  into  the  masonry, 
my  companion  pulled  a  bell.  In  a  moment  the  gate  swung 
back,  and  half-a-dozen  servants  in  rich  liveries  bowed  before 
us.  As  the  door  closed  again,  my  companion  raised  his 
castor,  and  said : 


CRUISE    IN    A    CAIQUE.  283 

"  Monsieur,  I  am  the  sole  remaining  diplomatique  repre- 
sentative of  His  Imperial  Majesty,  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  left 
in  Constantinople.  I  am  glad  to  receive  an  American." 

Breakfast  was  ordered,  and  after  wandering  about  the 
princely  chateau  and  domain,  we  sat  down  to  a  table,  laid 
beneath  the  refreshing  shade  of  a  terrace,  which  commanded 
a  panoramic  view  of  the  Strait  and  Asiatic  shores.  Between 
the  omelette  and  the  pilaus  we  resumed  the  conversation 
upon  the  all-absorbing  question  Turque. 

"  Tell  me,  sir,"  began  my  host,  "  suppose,  by  way  of  exam- 
ple, a  horde  of  infidels,  without  energy  or  progress,  or  even 
a  more  enlightened  nation,  were  encamped  at  the  mouth  of 
your  great  Mississippi,  which  drains  a  vast  agricultural  terri- 
tory scarcely  superior  to  southern  Russia,  would  you  prefer 
to  remain  locked  up,  your  commerce  cramped,  and  your 
resources  wasted,  without  pursuing  a  policy  to  open  the  com- 
munications with  the  world  at  large  ?" 

This  was  the  true  filibuster  doctrine,  and  I  could  not  patri- 
otically gainsay  it. 

•'  Then,"  he  continued,  "  why  should  this  Turk,  who  grinds 
the  orthodox  church  to  the  dust ;  who  is  corrupt  and  totter- 
ing to  his  fall — the  mouse  the  cats  are  playing  with — why, 
monsieur,  should  we  hold  back  the  advance  and  noble  interests 
of  the  Russian  Empire  ?  Is  it  not  monstrous  that  we  should 
longer  submit  to  this  miserable  system  ?  Moreover,"  he  went 
on  bitterly,  "  regard  France,  not  content  with  colonizing 
nearly  all  of  northern  Africa,  she  wishes  to  plant  her  foot 
upon  Syria.  And  only  the  other  day  she  sent  Lavallette  here 
to  pick  ac.  absurd  quarrel  with  the  Porte  about  the  keys  of 


284:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

Jerusalem  :  but  not  succeeding  in  that,  she  is  making  love  to 
her  natural  and  hereditary  enemies,  the  English,  to  mount 
guard  over  the  communications  to  India,  and  prevent  Russia 
from  getting  a  foothold  in  the  Mediterranean  !  Sacre  bleu  ! 
It  is  too  bad !  We  ought  to  bear  in  mind  the  excellent 
advice  of  the  Emperor  Peter  (here  he  took  off  his  hat)  of 
blessed  memory  to  his  successor,  II  faut  battre  les  Turcs 
chaque  annee  !  Try  some  of  that  Clos  vogeot,  monsieur,  after 
the  Bordeaux." 

I  found  the  reasoning  and  champagne  of  my  host  unexcep- 
tionable, and  after  a  hearty  breakfast,  I  said,  bon  jour,  and 
returned  to  my  Locanda.  Then  I  bathed  in  the  Bosphorus, 
which  laved  the  front  of  the  house,  dined  and  slept,  and  the 
following  morning  I  threw  myself  in  a  caique,  and  was  car- 
ried to  the  Frigate.  On  my  trip  down,  the  cannon  thundered 
along  the  Bosphorus,  and  looking  up,  I  beheld  the  Imperial 
caique  shoot  like  a  flying  sea-dragon,  gilded  in  gold  and  white, 
and  pulling  twenty-two  oars,  out  from  the  Tcheragier  Palace. 
As  the  caique  flew  by,  I  raised  my  cap,  and  saw  his  Highness, 
the  Caliph,  reclining  like  any  other  mortal,  in  the  stern, 
smoking  his  pipe  calmly,  and  shaded  by  the  Imperial  crimson 
umbrella. 


ABDUL    MEDJID    AT    HOME 


285 


Chapter    XXVI. 

"  He  went  to  Mosque  in  state  and  said  his  prayers 
With  more  than  Oriental  scrupulosity  ; 
He  left  to  his  Vizier  all  state  affairs, 
And  show'd  but  little  royal  curiosity." 


Abdul     Medjid     at    Home. 

WHILE  at  Constantinople  we  exchanged  ceremony  calls 
with  the  English  Ambassador,  Lord  Stratford  de  Redcline,  and 
M.  de  Brtick,  the  Austrian  Internuncio,  but  now  a  member  of 
the  cabinet  of  Vienna.  The  former  is  a  tall,  aristocratic  per- 
sonage, famous  for  his  wonderful  influence  with  the  Ottoman 
Porte ;  and  the  latter  gentleman  is  a  splendid  specimen  of 
manhood,  and  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  Ex-President 
Fillmore. 


286  SCAMPAVIAS. 

The  Turkish  dignitaries  also  visited  us.  Among  them  the 
Capudan  Pasha ;  the  same  ponderous  Turk  with  whom  we 
puffed  the  pipe  of  peace  at  the  Arsenal.  Him  we  called 
Abdomin  Pasha,  in  compliment  to  his  aldermanic  corporation. 
He  was  bowed  and  speechified  at ;  shown  in  and  around  the 
Frigate,  and  when  he  went  away  in  his  superb  twenty- 
oared  caique,  we  cannonaded  him  with  nineteen  heavy 
guns. 

Amin  Bey,  however,  the  gentleman  who  made  a  tour 
through  the  United  States  at  the  expense  of  our  government, 
did  not  find  time  to  pay  his  respects  ;  and,  indeed,  when  we 
met  him  once  or  twice  in  a  steamer  going  to  Therapia,  he  was 
so  near-sighted  that  he  failed  to  recognize  us. 

We  continued  to  while  away  the  time  very  agreeably. 
We  rarely  walked,  for  the  streets  are  nasty  and  torturous  to 
pedestrians,  and  since  Providence  does  not  provide  us  with 
four  legs,  we  seldom  exerted  ourselves.  We  always  found, 
however,  excellent  horses,  and  made  excursions  to  Belgrade, 
the  splendid  aqueduct  of  Justinian,  or  boated  it  over  to  Scu- 
tari to  see  the  spinning  dervishes,  or  lounged  about  the  cafes 
and  bazaars.  One  peculiarity  I  remarked  in  passing  through 
the  narrowest  streets,  and  that  is,  the  populace,  whether  male 
or  female,  never  so  much  as  a  garment  touched,  notwithstand- 
ing the  loose  and  flowing  drapery  worn.  This  precaution 
has  evidently  been  taught  by  the  plague. 

The  day  of  our  departure  from  Constantinople,  we  were 
presented  to  the  Sultan.  At  the  appointed  time  a  flotilla  of 
four  boats  left  the  frigate,  the  Commodore's  barge  leading. 
We  moved  off  for  the  Tcheragier  Palace,  where  the  audience 


ABDUL    MEDJID    AT    HOME.          287 

was  to  be  held.  This  palace  is  above  that  of  the  "  Gourds," 
the  elegant  white  marble  structure,  which,  with  its  crimson 
crystal  dome,  sculptured  fa9ade,  and  noble*gateways,  attracts 
all  gazers. 

Landing  at  the  stone  brink  of  Tcheragier,  we  formed  and 
marched  up  the  colonnade,  between  rows  of  Turkish  soldiers, 
who  had  brass  tubes  for  cartridges  on  their  breasts,  similar  to 
Pandaen  pipes,  and  entered  the  north  wing  of  the  palace. 
We  passed  up  a  low  flight  of  matted  stairs,  creaking  beneath 
our  tread,  were  shown  into  a  square  room,  and  became  seated 
on  divans  which  filled  three  of  the  sides. 

The  room  itself  was  scantily,  and  even  tawdrily  furnished. 
The  floor  was  laid  with  coarse  straw  matting;  the  sofas 
covered  with  soiled  figured  silks,  and  the  curtains  to  the 
closely  latticed  windows — which  looked  delightfully  upon  the 
Bosphorus — were  of  tattered  gauze,  while  a  dirty  brass  lamp, 
without  shades,  was  suspended  from  the  low  ceiling. 

In  contrast,  however,  to  this  ordinary  display,  there  pre- 
sently came  in  a  long  file  of  well-dressed  servants  with  pipes, 
and  each  of  us — twenty-two  in  all — were  supplied  with  one. 
The  richly  gilded  earthen  bowls  were  alight  and  placed  in 
silver  platters,  at  convenient  distances  on  the  floor.  Many  of 
the  stems  were  full  seven  feet  long. 

O !  delicious  must  have  been  the  cherries  that  once 
ripened  on  these  straight  shoots  under  the  warm  suns  of 
Teheran  ! 

The  enormous  amber  bulbs  were  ribbed  with  clasps  of 
diamonds,  which  made  our  mouths  water  to  behold  them, 
while  the  delicate  aroma  of  the  Latakia  rolled  upward  from 


288  SCAMPAVIAS. 

our  lips,  and  the  fumes  of  the  grateful  though  pernicious 
weed  lulled  us  to  repose.  But  another  band  of  attendants 
appeared,  and  with  graceful  oriental  salaams,  presented  us 
each  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  whose  gold  filagree  stands  were 
enamelled  blue,  and  thickly  studded  with  diamonds. 

We  now  began  to  realize  the  sensation  that  we  were 
tasting  the  same  Mocha  as  that  sipped  by  the  Protector  of 
the  Universe  !  Allah  !  Infidels  that  we  were  ! 

We  merely  looked  at  one  another  and  winked,  each  man 
mentally  calculating  the  value  of  the  treasures  before  us,  and 
hoping  that  the  good  old  customs  might  be  revived  for  the 
occasion,  and  we  be  permitted  to  walk  off  with  our  prize. 
Those  watchful  bearers,  however,  put  those  burglarious  visions 
to  flight,  by  again  approaching  and  bearing  away  the  little 
cups  with  their  precious  stands* 

In  a  few  minutes  that  pleasant,  intelligent,  little  old  Mo- 
hammedan, Reschid  Pasha,  was  announced,  and  welcomed  us 
kindly.  He  took  a  seat  in  our  midst,  but  had  not  long  to 
chat,  before,  by  some  mysterious  signal,  we  all  got  on  our 
pins ;  the  servants  seized  the  pipes,  and  then,  in  the  wake  of 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  we  descended  to  the  lower 
story.  There  traversing  a  court-yard  and  blooming  flower 
garden,  between  files  of  soldiers,  we  reached  the  main  trunk 
or  reception  centre  of  the  palace. 

At  the  piazza,  the  Dragomen,  and  even  Reschid  himself, 
kicked  off  their  slippers  ;  then  entering  a  vestibule,  we  passed 
up  a  broad  staircase,  where,  at  the  angles,  and  on  the  landing 
above,  stood  the  Sultan's  body  guard.  This  guard  was 
gorgeouply  dressed  in  scarlet  frock  coats,  heavily  embroidered 


ABDUL    MEDJID    AT    HOME.          289 

and  banded  with  ropes  and  aiguillettes  of  gold,  with  high 
plumed  red  caps,  which  added  to  their  tall  stature,  and  in 
their  hands  they  carried  long,  double  crescented  halberds. 

Turning  to  the  left,  where  was  a  large,  lofty  apartment,  we 
beheld  Abdul  Medjid,  the  Caliph.  The  floor  of  the  reception 
room  was  raised  a  few  inches  from  the  hall,  and  not  only  the 
Dragomen,  but  the  Minister,  touched  the  ground  with  their 
fingers,  and  then  raised  them  to  their  foreheads  in  approach- 
ing the  Presence. 

I  had  only  time  to  remark,  that  the  apartment  was  deco- 
rated with  several  valuable  French  clocks  standing  on  marble 
consoles,  which  did  not  appear  to  go,  or,  if  they  did,  they 
kept  miscellaneous  time  ;  that  the  artificial  flowers,  within 
superb  crystal  shades  were  shabby  and  out  of  vogue ;  that 
the  heavy  brocade  hangings  were  dusty  and  ill-arranged,  and, 
in  short,  that  the  whole  establishment  was  sadly  out  at 
elbows,  and  needed  woman's  taste  and  attention  to  keep  the 
incongruous  furniture  in  order. 

The  Sultan  stood  with  his  back  to  the  windows,  and  in 
front  of  a  small  sofa.  He  was  dressed,  to  begin  below,  in 
varnished  shoes,  badly  made  ;  white  trousers,  still  worse,  and 
a  dark  blue  frock  coat,  on  the  left  breast  of  which  glittered 
a  star  of  brilliants.  Over  all,  he  wore  a  short  blue  cloak,  with 
the  collar  and  cuffs  both  royally  encrusted — to  the  depth  of 
three  inches — with  large  brilliants  on  a  scarlet  ground.  The 
hilt  of  his  gold-sheathed  scimitar  was  also  gleaming  in 
jewels. 

I  stood  within  a  yard  of  him  and  studied  him  attentively. 
He  is  not  much  over  thirty  years  of  age,  but  he  looks  full 

13 


290  SOAMPAVIAS. 

forty-five.  He  has  good  features,  a  fine  forehead,  black  eyes, 
good  mouth,  and  white  teeth  :  with  jet  black  moustacher  and 
beard  closely  trimmed.  When  he  tried  to  smile,  a  very 
pleasing  and  touching  expression  passed  like  a  breath  upon  a 
mirror,  over  his  face.  He  looked  indifferent,  and  even  sleepy? 
as  we  drew  near,  but  when  the  light  came  into  his  dark  eyes, 
the  most  saddened  expression  of  sorrow  peeped  out,  as  if  from 
a  soul  that  had  suffered  patiently  from  the  hour  it  was 
created. 

There  were  civil  speeches  made  on  both  sides — all,  how- 
ever, murmured  in  low,  half-audible  whispers — and  the 
Sultan  desired  the  Commodore  to  congratulate  the  President 
of  the  United  States  upon  his  accession  to  office. 

But  my  interest  was  fixed  upon  the  man. 

There  he  stood,  the  descendant  of  Mahomet !  at  whose  nod 
heads  may  fall,  and  houris  be  sewed  up  in  sacks,  and  pitched 
into  the  Bosphorus!  Ay,  there  he  stood,  the  lord  of  a 
quaking  empire,  now  only  upheld  by  the  Infidel  giants, 
his  subjects,  still  spit  upon ;  and  whom  the  vassal  of  his 
ancestors,  the  pirate  Barbarossa,  once  sold  for  an  onion 
apiece!  There  stood  Abdul  Medjid.  May  he  live  a  thou- 
sand years ! 

Yet,  even  with  his  deformed  foot,  there  was  an  air  of  calm 
dignity  surrounding  him,  though  he  seemed  much  better 
suited  for  a  holy  monk,  with  rope  and  serge,  telling  his  beads 
with  downcast,  meditative  mien,  than  an  Eastern  despot^ 
throwing  handkerchiefs  at  odalisques,  or  ruling  a  nation. 

The  audience  was  soon  over,  and  we  reversed  out  of  the 
reception  chamber,  bowing  to  His  Highness  unto  the 


ABDUL    MEDJID    AT    HOME.  291 

threshold.  T  was  the  last,  and  saw  the  wearied  man  sink 
languidly  on  the  ottoman,  tuck  one  of  his  legs  under  him, 
and  then  pull  out  a  paper  from  beneath  a  cushion,  as  if  it 
were  the  greatest  labor  in  life, 

Poor  mortal !  He  can't  eat  with  his  species  ;  nor  be  jolly, 
nor  hear  scandal,  or  have  fun ;  but  must  pass  his  time  with 
ignorant  white-faced  women,  be  hen-pecked  to  death,  and 
lead  the  life  of  a  mute. 

On  the  whole,  however,  there  is  something  fascinating 
about  Abdul  Medjid — much  in  the  style  of  Kossuth — and  it 
occurred  to  me,  that  the  very  touching  sadness  of  his 
countenance  would  make  him,  in  sentiment,  a  very  dangerous 
person  for  conquest  with  the  fair  sex. 

Descending  to  a  large  saloon  immediately  below  the 
audience-room,  we  were  refreshed  after  our  exertions,  with 
large  bowls  of  sherbet;  and  afterwards  had  the  satisfaction 
to  wipe  our  profane  lips  on  the  Sultan's  fine  lawn  and  gold- 
worked  napkins. 

Then  the  amiable  Reschid  parted  with  us.  The  imperial 
guards  were  drawn  up,  and  out  we  went,  through  gardens, 
courts,  and  gateways,  salaaming  right  and  left,  until  we 
reached  the  marble  stairs  at  the  Bosphorus,  where  we  jumped 
into  the  boats,  and  dashed  away  to  the  Frigate. 

Whether  any  or  all  of  the  favorites  and  ladies  of  the 
Harem  fell  in  love  with  us,  we  never  knew.  It  was  more 
than  probable,  however,  that  they  did,  and  may  have  been 
shot  like  so  many  sacks  of  coals  into  the  Bosphorus  for  their 
preference. 

In  the  evening  we  weighed  anchor,  and  with  the  swift, 


292  SOAMPAVIAS. 

rolling  current,  we  swung  past  Seraglio  point,  and  before  set 
of  sun,  the  tall  green  cypresses  beside  the  graceful,  glittering 
minarets, 

"  Spires  whose  silent  fingers  point  to  Heaven," 

and  the  flat-domed  mosques,  faded  from  our  sight  as  we 
sailed  out  into  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 


IL    SIKOCCO. 


Chapter    XXVII. 

•'  Cresce  1'ardor  nocivo,  e  sempre  awampa 
Piu  mortalmente  in  queste  parti  e  in  quelle. 
A  giorno  reo  notte  piu  rea  succede, 
E  di  peggior  di  lei  dopo  lei  riede. 

*  *  *  #  * 

Sembra  il  ciel  nell'  aspetto  atra  fornace  ; 


*** 


Vento  che  move  dall'  arene  maure, 
Che  gravoso  e  spiacente,  e  seno  e  gote 
Co'  densi  fiati  ad  or  ad  or  percote." 
"  Lasciate  ogni  speranza  voi  ch'  entrate." 

"  Like  a  dark  furnace  Heaven  seems  :  in  vain 
The  weary  eye  refreshment  seeks  ;  silent 
Is  Zephyr  in  his  cave,  nor  does  remain 
One  sound  of  life  ;  no  breath  of  air  is  sent 
To  cool  the  cheek  :  like  flame  of  burning  brands, 
Blows  the  hot  wind  that  comes  from  Moorish  sands. 
In  fitful  gusts  it  strikes  the  languid  breast  ; 

Which  pants  for  purer  air  and  vainly  seeks  for  rest." 

R.  A. 

II    Sirocco. 

WE  rapidly  crossed  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  and  with  a 
whistling  breeze,  entered  the  Hellespont.  It  being  contrary, 
however,  to  Turkish  regulation  to  pass  the  castles  at  night, 
we  let  go  an  anchor  near  Sestos.  At  early  dawn,  we  were 
again  under  canvas,  and  before  noon,  we  had  run  through 


294  SOAMPAVIAS. 

the  Dardanelles,  and  were  in  Beshika  Bay,  within  sight 
of  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and  England. 

There  were  twenty-five  sail  in  all,  from  huge  three-deckers 
down  to  steam-corvettes.  It  was  a  grand  sight  truly — those 
mighty  bulwarks  of  oak,  the  black-muzzled  cannon  pro- 
truding from  their  checkered  sides,  while  above  arose  the 
great  cumbrous  forest  of  masts,  spars,  and  cordage,  bearing 
aloft  their  defiant  banners.  They  were  all  anxiously  waiting, 
too,  for  the  guns  to  be  cast  loose,  and  the  signal  given  to  rush 
at  the  Russians.  But  with  no 

"  Soft  greetings  to  the  infanticidal  Czar, 
The  Bear  on  Poland's  babes  that  wages  war !" 

Oh,  no !  All  were  emulous  and  eager  for  a  gripe  with 
that  Bear,  though,  perhaps,  they  little  anticipated  at  the  time 
what  a  death-hug  they  were  likely  to  receive  in  return.  In 
truth,  John  Bull  might  have  exclaimed,  when  the  war  was 
ended,  as  did  one  of  his  captains  after  the  battle  of  Navarino, 
"  We  have  had  a  devilish  good  fight,  but,  unfortunately,  we 
knocked  down  the  wrong  man." 

As  we  passed  slowly  before  the  line,  the  English  cross 
of  Saint  George  was  displayed  from  our  fore,  and  we  saluted 
Admiral  Dundas.  Scarcely  had  the  thunder  of  our  guns 
ceased,  when  the  flashes  belched  forth  from  the  ports  of  the 
Britannia,  and  the  sound  was  rolled,  like  an  echo,  back  again. 
At  the  same  time,  we  could  see  with  the  glass  a  ball  of 
bunting  at  the  mast-head  of  the  French  Admiral — doubtless 
the  American  flag — in  readiness  to  be  unfurled  when  the 
same  compliment  had  been  paid  to  him,  as  that  to  his 


SMALL    SWORDS.  295 

colleague.  But  we  held  on  our  course  in  solitary  dignity, 
without  burning  another  ounce  of  gunpowder  for  anybody. 

We  heard  afterwards  from  some  English  officers  of  the 
fleet,  that  the  rage  of  the  Frenchmen,  at  what  they  regarded 
a  deliberate  insult  cast  upon  them  in  presence  of  their  allies, 
exceeded  all  bounds;  and  lucky  it  was,  perhaps,  that  we 
Republicans  were  out  of  reach  of  their  small  swords,  or 
else  some  of  our  digestions  might  have  been  injured. 

The  fact  was,  that  non-intercourse  existed  between  us,  and 
the  cause  dated  back  to  our  visit  to  Palermo.  There  the 
French  fleet,  under  Admiral  de  la  Susse,  entered  the  Bay. 
Now,  by  the  laws  of  naval  etiquette,  after  preliminary  com- 
pliments are  mutually  interchanged  through  the  medium 
of  aid-de-camps,  it  becomes  the  duty  among  equals  in  rank, 
for  the  last  comer  to  make  the  first  visit.  Admiral  de  la 
Susse,  however,  did  not  honor  our  Commander-in-chief  with  a 
call.  Then  we  went  to  Naples,  whither  the  French  fleet 
followed  us,  but  no  courtesies,  either  of  aid-de-camps  or 
visits,  passed  between  us.  Whereupon  the  Frenchman  took 
umbrage,  and  the  matter  being  referred  to  the  respective 
governments,  considerable  diplomatic  correspondence  ensued ; 
all,  however,  without  a  satisfactory  result,  so  far  as  deciding 
these  ever-recurring  disputes  with  respect  to  naval  rank. 

The  ground  assumed  by  the  French  Admiral  was  simply 
this :  that  by  the  rules  of  his  own  code,  he  was  bound 
to  pay  homage  to  his  superiors  in  rank  of  foreign  navies,  and, 
therefore,  he  demanded  the  same  honors  to  be  conceded 
to  him  by  inferiors;  in  other  words,  that  an  American 
Commodore  stood  in  this  last  position.  On  the  other  hand, 


296  SCAMPAVIAS. 

we  said :  there  is  no  legitimate  rank  of  Commodore  in  our 
navy ;  we  have  a  Commander-in-chief,  who  carries  his 
authority  as  far  and  wide  relatively  as  your  Admiral;  it 
is  the  highest  grade  we  are  allowed,  and  should  we  acknow- 
ledge our  inferiority  in  point  of  rank,  we  should  be  compelled 
to  fall  down  before  every  petty  state  which  maintains  a 
couple  of  frigates  or  a  few  gun-boats  for  a  navy,  merely 
because  they  choose  to  style  their  flag-officers  Admirals ;  we, 
therefore,  decline  to  extend  official  courtesy,  save  on  terms  of 
perfect  equality. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "  why  do  you  wear  a 
broad,  swallow-tailed  pennant — which  is  the  distinctive  mark 
of  our  own  Commodores — instead  of  the  square  flag  of  a 
Commander-in-chief  ?" 

This,  indeed,  was  a  very  nice  question  to  answer,  and, 
unless  some  such  regulation  as  that  suggested  by  the  French 
be  introduced  into  our  navy,  we  shall  always  have  unpleasant 
controversies  with  the  officers  we  meet  abroad. 

Once  more  threading  the  Grecian  archipelago,  and  paying 
a  usual  call  upon  our  friends  at  Athens,  we  at  last  sailed  into 
open  water,  with  our  head  down  the  Mediterranean.  As  we 
crept  out  from  the  shade  of  the  Morea,  there  came  a  Sirocco. 
Everybody,  I  presume,  knows  what  that  is  ;  or,  if  they  do 
not,  just  let  them  take  a  cruise  along  the  northern  shores  of 
Africa,  about  the  change  of  the  moon,  and  the  chances  are 
ten  to  one  they  will  soon  be  enlightened  with  respect  to  that 
phenomenon. 

The  siroccos  are  strong  gales  of  wind  from  the  southward, 
which  come,  burning  hot,  from  the  face  of  the  arid  deserts 


IL    SIROOCO.  297 

of  Africa,  accompanied  by  a  stifling,  enervating  atmosphere, 
at  once  suffocating  and  depressing.  The  Maltese  and  Sici- 
lians attribute  all  the  ills  of  life  to  the  sirocco.  If  a  maiden 
happens  to  go  astray,  or  the  eggs  are  bad,  or  a  horse  runs 
away — Ecco  !  il  sirocco  !  If  gloves  don't  fit,  jackasses  bray, 
fish  don't  bite,  or  a  woman  has  twins  ! — Why,  look  you — the 
sirocco  !  Neither  will  wine  fine,  medicine  operate,  meat  be 
salted,  or  a  man  pay  his  debts,  on  account  of  that  horrible 
sirocco. 

It  is,  however,  a  wind  to  make  a  person  commit  suicide. 
The  harder  it  blows  the  hotter  it  gets.  The  sea  is  all  a  dirty 
white  mist ;  the  horizon  a  sickly,  purply  haze.  Your  head 
aches,  your  skin  is  parched  and  cracked,  and  the  hot  breath 
of  Sahara  is  the  cause  of  all.  No  drink  allays  the  thirst ;  no 
food  goes  to  the  right  spot ;  a  feeling  of  lassitude  unbends  all 
your  energy,  and  you  only  exist  in  a  frightful  waking  state 
of  nightmare.  Purgatory  must  be  an  ice-cream  saloon  in 
contrast.  But  just  to  fancy — if  this  ovenlike  blast  is  so 
dreadful  on  shore,  where  you  may  dive  down  in  a  cellar,  or 
be  shut  up  within  damp  stone  walls,  what  it  must  be  on 
shipboard,  deep  down  in  the  cockpit,  breathing  and  choking 
as  if  in  the  vacuum  of  a  steam-chest?  Living  in  a  slimy 
cave  with  vampires  would  be  a  comparative  Elysium. 

Fortunately,  these  terrible  siroccos  exhaust  their  heated 
lungs  in  twenty  or  thirty  hours,  and  then  comes  a  deliciously 
fresh  breeze  from  the  opposite  direction.  Ah  !  you  swallow 
your  claret  and  water  with  mucho  gusto ;  crack  the  green, 
juicy  walnuts  with  zest,  and  go  to  bed  with  a  cool  sheet,  and 
sleep  refreshingly. 

13* 


298  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Soon  we  came  in  sight  of  Mount  Etna,  with  a  white  ber- 
nous  of  snow  around  its  shoulders,  and  rearing  its  lofty  brow 
to  the  clouds. 

Beating  through  the  Straits  of  Messina,  we  continued  on  to 
Naples,  Leghorn,  and  Spezia ;  and,  finally,  to  end  the  sum- 
mer's cruise,  we  raced  along  the  coast  of  France,  and  in  the 
month  of  August,  we  sailed  into  the  magnificent  basin  of 
La  Joliette,  at  Marseilles. 


DIVERTISSEMENT.  299 


Chapter    XXVIII. 

"  De  travers  en  travers, 
Tout  va  dans  1'univers 

De  travers. 

Toute  femme  est  perverse, 
Tout  traiteur  exigeant 

Pour  1'argent." 

Divertissem  ent. 

LA  JOLIETTE,  though  one  of  the  grandest  basins  for  shipping 
ever  built,  was,  nevertheless,  highly  perfumed  with  mud, 
which  I  chose  to  dispense  with,  and  accordingly  I  took  a 
chambre  garnie  in  Rue  Paradis,  number  one  hundred  and 
something,  facing  the  Cours  Bonaparte. 

The  furniture  consisted  of  two  large  gilt  clocks ;  one  stand- 
ing on  black  marble  legs,  and  the  other  upheld  by  Father 
Time,  with  a  bronze  diaper  around  his  loins ;  besides  there 
were  several  brilliant  vases  of  muslin  flowers  in  a  rapid  state 
of  decay,  a  few  incorrigible  chairs,  two  marble  tables,  a  secretary 
bureau,  which  would  neither  open  nor  shut — as  they  never 
will  in  France — and  a  couch  in  an  alcove,  with  a  wool  mat- 
tress. 

There  was  an  air  of  dreary  splendor  about  the  apartment, 


300 


SCAMPAVIAS. 


which,  however,  contrasted  with  the  cramped  sub-sean  pro- 
portions of  my  quarters  in  the  cock-pit,  and  somewhat  recon- 
ciled me  to  the  change. 

My  landlady  was  an  enormously  large  woman — one  of  these 
persons  who  grow  upon  you — whose  custom-house  register 
would  probably  have  measured  three  hundred  pounds  bur- 
den. 


She  expatiated  upon  the  advantages  of  her  lodgings.  The 
Belgian  Consul  lived  two  stories  below  me;  an  artist  in 
chalk  colors  occupied  the  leads ;  the  concierge  never  slept ; 
the  troops  paraded  to  the  sound  of  drums  every  day  in  the 
Cours  Bonaparte,  and  she  never  permitted  a  woman  or  a  bed- 
bug in  the  maison  !  In  short,  I  should  have  a  sponge-bath — 
in  shaoe  of  an  inverted  umbrella — every  morning  ;  breakfast 


DIVERTISSEMENT.  301 

on  English  tea  and  new  eggs ;  and  be  made  altogether  tres 
comfortable,  for  only  forty  sous  per  diem. 

Even  were  all  these  enumerated  delights  in  perspective 
denied  me,  I  yet  felt  confident  that  I  should  be  quiet,  and  none 
but  the  dearest  friends  would  climb  up  to  me.  I  thought,  too, 
that  it  would  be  impossible  for  my  landlady  to  accomplish  the 
feat  conveniently,  without  being  assisted  by  a  crane  or  ropes, 
at  imminent  personal  risk  ;  but  in  this  conjecture  I  was  mis- 
taken, for  once  she  did  venture  the  dangerous  struggle,  though 
at  the  time,  I  feared  she  would  puff  herself  to  death,  and  die 
on  my  hands. 

The  occasion  of  this  visit  of  Madame  Bellepoule — that  was 
her  name — was  to  wind  up  the  clocks,  receive  her  rent,  and 
request  Monsieur  le  Lieutenant  riot  to  shout  the  Marseillaise 
hymn  with  full  chorus,  in  so  loud  a  tone  of  song  at  so  late  an 
hour  of  night,  or  else  the  Prefect — who  was  a  rank  Napoleon- 
ist — might  place  her  establishment  under  strict  surveillance, 
which  would  not  be  genteel,  you  know  ! 

I  put  the  blame, of  this  Republican  cantata  upon  fleet-sur- 
geon Bunter.  and  commissary  Peeteet,  who  were  well  known 
to  be  the  most  roystering  blades  in  the  Frigate,  whose  patriot- 
ism could  rarely  be  kept  under  wholesome  restraint  in  for- 
eign parts — and  I  promised  that  no  future  ebullitions  of  that 
nature  should  occur  again  in  my  lodgings. 

"  Not,"  said  Madame,  "  that  I  love  the  royalists !  Oh  !  no ! 
on  the  contrary,  I  detest  them  !  Me  !  I  adore  the  Republic. 
But  my  infant,  look  !  how  is  it  possible  to  have  a  republic  in 
France  where  there  is  not  one  sole  Republican  !  Answer  me 
that,  my  jewel  ?" 


302  SCAMPAVIAS. 

I  began  to  write. 

"Who  was  the  letter  to?  Your  wife?  ah!"  said  she, 
laughing  till  her  fat  sides  shook  like  the  dewlap  of  an  ox, 
"Excuse  me,  my  little  boy,  one  rarely  loves  his  wife  in 
France." 

"But,"  she  added,  " est  elle jolie ?" 

"Lafemme  qu'on  aime  est  toujours  belle,  madame" 
"Very  well,  young  man,  very  well,"  she  replied,  and   pat- 
ting me  on   the  back,  she  rolled  down  stairs  like  a  bale  of 
cotton. 

While  some  of  my  companions  went  to  Paris,  Toulon,  or 
made  tours  into  the  interior,  to  investigate  the  condition  of 
the  people,  I  remained  tranquilly  in  Marseilles,  lounged  about 
the  city,  visited  the  fairs,  did  shopping,  and  otherwise  amused 
myself. 

I  must  not  forget  to  mention  here,  that  a  few  of  us  dined 
with  great  pertinacity,  with  our  worthy  consul,  who  at  the 
time  occupied  the  ancient  chair  of  the  Caesars.  We  seized  the 
keys  of  his  well  stocked  wine  cellar,  conversed  with  the  pretty 
housekeeper,  Marie ;  consulted  with  the  cook,  and,  in  fact, 
took  absolute  charge  of  the  menage,  until  Caesar  prayed,  in 
spirit,  that  such  another  horde  of  navy-vandals  might  never 
again  visit  Gaul.  We  loved  the  consul,  however,  which  in 
conjunction  with  his  charity,  covered  the  multitude  of  our 
sins.  Allans ! 

Marseilles  is  a  very  bustling,  busy,  hot  place,  full  of  mud 
and  merchants ;  excellent  restaurants — where  you  meet  a 
cuisine  that  would  do  honor  to  Brillat  Savarin — cafe's  of 
thousands  of  columns,  with  whole  seas  of  mirrors  on  walls  and 


DIVERTISSEMENT.  303 

ceilings — and  plenty  of  showy  shops.  China,  plate,  glass,  soft 
A.ubusson  carpets,  Lyons  velvets,  and  ladies'  finery  are  to  be 
had  for  the  paying.  No  biped,  however,  in  trowsers — save 
under  extreme  pressure — should  attempt  to  bargain  with  the 
shrewd  and  well  trained  shop-people  who  deal  in  these  com- 
modities. I  tried  the  experiment,  and  was  perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  result. 

I  had  a  commission  to  purchase  a  few  yards  of  ribbon,  and 
accordingly,  after  some  search  in  the  fashionable  street  of 
Saint  Fe'reol,  I  found  an  elegant  boutique  where  nothing  but 
ribbons  were  sold. 

"  Prix  fixe  "  was  neatly  emblazoned  under  the  sign  of  the 
"  Soeurs  Clos"  Those  charming  sisters  received  me  with 
that  indescribable  sweetness  of  voice  and  expression  which 
pretty  French  dames  de  Comptoir  so  naturally  assume. 

"  What  did  M.  le  Capitaine  desire  ?  The  newest  modes  for 
hats,  belts,  scarfs,  or  dresses  ?  They  had  them  all  direct  from 
the  manufactory  at  bon  marche" 

I  stated  my  wishes  in  my  choicest  idiom.  I  burred  the 
r-r's  like  a  tambour  major ;  I  skipped  glibly  over  the  annoy- 
ing little  articles,  took  playful  liberties  with  the  verbs,  and  on 
the  whole,  I  believed  that  Mezzofanti  himself  could  not  have 
made  a  better  lingual  impression. 

In  a  moment,  a  multitude  of  white  cartons,  filled  with 
delicate  tissues  strewed  the  broad  counter.  The  sisters  Clos 
shot  the  bright  glistening  fabrics  in  rainbow  streams  of 
dazzling  brilliancy  right  and  left  before  me.  The  rolls  of 
beautiful  colors  swam  before  my  vision  in  a  kaleidoscopic 
species  of  jugglery.  I  became,  of  course,  magnetized  with 


304:  SCAMPAVIAS. 

ribbon,  and  lost  all  control  of  myself.  In  fact,  the  negatives 
of  the  French  language  utterly  forsook  ine. 

I  said,  "  Oui,  mademoiselle,  demi  carton  de  fa  ;  trois  pieces 
de  cette  nuance  de  rose.  Certainement !  encore  plus"  and 
so  on. 

They  finally  asked,  seeing,  no  doubt,  that  I  was  helpless, 
and  having  a  tinge  of  true  womanly  pity  in  their  natures, 
"  Has  Monsieur  selected  all  his  commission  ?" 

I  had  just  sufficient  presence  of  mind,  in  a  moment  of  con- 
sciousness, to  say  that  Monsieur  had  made  up  his  commission, 
though  Heaven  knows  that  I  little  dreamed  at  the  time,  how 
near  I  came  to  selling  out  my  commission  to  pay  for  what 
had  already  been  chosen. 

In  a  trice  one  of  the  fair  sisters  Clos  went  to  a  desk,  and 
before  I  could  think,  a  delicate  little  slip  of  paper  was  laid  on 
the  counter ;  and  with  a  "  thank  you,  infinimently,"  the 
sisters  Clos  smiled  upon  me  with  the  archest  expression  of 
pleasure  possible. 

I  gave  a  timid  look  at  their  rapid  arithmetic,  and  beheld 
an  addition  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-four  francs !  Yes ! 
there  was  no  mistake ;  the  neat  little  figures  were  perfectly 
well  formed,  and  the  calculation  exact. 

Had  I  not  drank  a  bottle  of  La  Malgue — a  generous  wine — 
for  breakfast,  I  should  certainly  have  fainted,  been  taken  to 
the  u  Secours  aux  blesses"  or  else  been  placed  in  a  maison  of 
health  for  life.  As  it  was,  I  recovered  my  faculties  partially 
after  the  first  shock,  grinned  spasmodically  at  the  lovely  sis- 
ters Clos,  desired  the  articles  sent  to  Madame  Bellepoule's, 
and  left  the  shop. 


DIVERTISSEMENT.  305 

Sometimes,  of  evenings,  I  would  wander  to  the  great  fair 
of  Saint  Lazarus,  which  was  held  in  a  broad  boulevard  back 
of  the  town.  The  road  was  lined  with  canvas  tents  and 
booths,  temporary  cafes,  striped  muslin  theatres,  with  most 
of  the  performances  outside ;  waxwork  museums ;  celestial 
mechanisms ;  wild  beast  arenas ;  which,  with  charlatans, 
mountebanks,  ballet-tumblers,  and  other  cheateries,  made  a 
very  gay  scene.  There  was,  also,  about  an  acre  covered 
entirely  with  toy  shops.  It  seemed  as  if  all  Belgium,  and  the 
toy  towns  of  Germany  and  Switzerland  had  been  sacked.  I 
counted  ninety-three  dolls,  of  a  wonderful  ingenuity,  that 
squeaked  by  pinching  the  stomach,  sold  in  half  an  hour. 
Baby-houses,  with  kitchens  crowded  with  casseroles,  were  in 
great  demand.  Rabbits,  that  beat  tattoos  on  drums  with 
their  fore-legs,  went  off  rapidly,  as  well.  I  saw  one  little  boy 
with  nine  of  these  rabbits.  Indeed,  the  small  urchin  popula- 
tion generally,  were  coming  and  going  loaded  chin-deep  with 
toys  of  all  sorts. 

On  one  visit,  Bays  and  I  determined  to  take  a  peep  inside 
of  the  tented  theatres,  and,  accordingly,  we  pitched  upon  a 
Lion  Tamer  and  his  ferocious  beasts  from  the  wilds  of  Africa. 
We  had  already  studied  the  wise  monkeys  of  Brazil,  and 
beheld  the  fleet  ostriches  race  round  a  dusty  circus,  with  their 
feathers  nearly  beat  off  them  by  the  exhibitor,  to  make  them 
go  at  all. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  Lion  Tamer's  arena,  we  were 
accosted  by  a  brace  of  females,  demanding  to  know  what 
was  going  on  inside.  "  Enter  Mesdames,"  said  we,  "  and  see 
for  yourselves."  Without  further  conversation  they  bolted 


306  SCAMPAVIAS. 

through  the  canvas  doorway,  and  the  next  moment  we  were 
met  by  a  request  from  an  old  Scorpion  who  stood  guard  over 
the  ticket  precinct,  of  "  Three  francs  fifty  centimes,  Messieurs." 
"  What  for  ?"  said  we,  aghast.  "  For  the  ladies  you  invited 
to  enter,"  accompanied  by  a  little  dash  of  spattering  abuse. 
Meanwhile,  a  couple  of  stalwart  gendarmes,  in  swords  and 
elegant  white  cotton  embroidery,  were  attracted  to  the  spot,  and 
gave  heed  to  the  discussion.  They  also  observed,  that  it  was 
necessary,  absolutely,  that  Messieurs  should  pay  the  demand. 
"  Epigrammatic,  but  decidedly  summary,"  said  Bays.  But 
rather  than  have  a  row  on  the  soil  of  Beautiful  France,  with 
such  polite  odds  against  us,  we  paid  the  money  and  contented 
ourselves  with  ten  sous  places,  while  "  the  ladies  "  occupied 
reserved  seats,  and  frowned  upon  our  forced  generosity. 

We  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  seeing  the  Tamer 
of  the  ferocious  beasts,  who  bearded  them  in  their  dens, 
nearly  have  his  own  beard  torn  off  by  an  enraged  cougar, 
and  sharply  bitten  by  another  howling  animal  in  the  same 
cage.  The  recipients  of  our  bounty  likewise  suffered  damage, 
and  had  their  chip-straw  bonnets  whisked  off  by  a  stunted, 
but  affectionate  and  evidently  hungry  elephant ;  neither 
of  which  disasters  pained  us  in  the  least. 

One  afternoon  we  visited  the  untamed  and  untamable 
savages  from  the  kingdom  of  Dahomie.  The  exhibiter, 
with  a  heavy  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  stationed  himself 
before  the  bars  of  a  large  cage.  He  begged  to  be  permitted 
to  remark  to  the  audience  that  the  exhibition  of  the  spectacle 
would  be  entirely  without  risk  to  them,  even  if  the  heavy 
chains  and  iron  bars  were  too  weak  to  restrain  the  fury 


DlVEBTISSEMENT.  307 

of  the  savages,  for  he  would  interpose  his  own  person,  and 
sacrifice,  if  need  be,  his  life  to  the  general  safety.  With  this, 
he  rattled  his  naked  blade  against  the  cage,  and  the  growls 
and  moans,  mixed  with  clanking  of  chains,  which  had  pro- 
ceeded from  behind  a  screen,  suddenly  increased  to  wild 
howls,  and  two  figures  sprang  forward  and  frantically  began 
to  beat  the  bars  of  their  prison. 

To  our  eyes,  accustomed  to  penetrate  the  disguise  of 
Ethiopian  minstrels,  the  African  savages  were  palpably  com- 
posed of  lamp-black  and  Frenchmen.  The  exhibitor  told  us 
that  one  had  been  named  Jaques,  while  the  other  was  of  so 
untamable  a  disposition,  that  all  efforts  had  failed  to  give 
him  a  human  epithet !  He  invited  us  to  regard  with  what 
intensity  they  gazed  upon  the  sun — that  luminary  being  very 
bright  in  their  own  country.  At  this,  the  savages,  albeit  not 
articulating  the  French  idiom,  were  seen  to  gaze  with  great 
intensity  through  a  crack  at  the  sunshine  without.  The 
food,  their  keeper  of  this  peculiar  race  informed  us,  consisted 
entirely  of  tobacco,  which  being  an  expensive  diet  in  La 
France,  he  therefore  assured  himself  the  liberty  of  passing 
round  a  vessel — the  shell  of  a  huge  turtle — that  all  might 
have  the  opportunity  of  contributing  sustenance  of  that 
deleterious  vegetable  to  those  poor  exiles. 

This  being  done,  and  the  exiles  having  thrust  some  old 
stumps  of  cigars  into  their  mouths,  the  exhibition  ended. 

We  learned,  however,  that  at  a  subsequent  display  of  these 
savages,  a  gentleman,  strange  to  say,  recognized  one  as  a 
thievish  boot-black,  and  it  would  seem  that  the  business  being 
limited  to  the  region  of  boot,  the  savage  had  blacked  himself 


308  SCAMPAVTAS. 

all  over,  and  made  his  appearence  as  a  beau  savage  noir  in 
the  Foire  of  Saint  Lazare.  Both  he  and  his  companion 
were  very  violently  ducked  and  scrubbed  by  the  populace. 

Another  evening,  while  enjoying  ourselves  at  the  fair,  there 
suddenly  came  up  a  shower.  Now  it  may  be  supposed  to 
rain  elsewhere,  but  it  only  pours  in  Marseilles.  The  smooth, 
glassy  surfaces  of  the  rocky  hills  around,  shed  water  like 
from  the  back  of  a  duck,  and  the  floods  come  streaming 
down  the  valleys,  until  they  deluge  the  city.  Umbrellas 
are  of  no  more  service,  on  these  occasions,  than  so  much 
blotting-paper ;  and  without  one  goes  about  habitually  in 
a  diving-bell,  or  an  india-rubber  retort,  he  must  be  drenched. 

With  the  first  drops,  the  votaries  of  Saint  Lazarus  ran 
to  the  cafe's,  which  were  soon  crowded  to  suffocation.  The 
proprietors  of  the  booths  tumbled  their  dolls,  rabbits,  and 
toys  into  their  canvas  shops.  The  old  chair  women  of  the 
Boulevard  piled  their  property  eight  square  on  their  heads, 
and  vanished  ;  and  females  generally  turned  their  exterior 
petticoats  over  their  hats,  and  incontinently  mizzled. 

We  thought  there  was  a  political  revolution,  and  began  to 
look  around  for  the  National  Guard. 

"What's  the  matter?"  we  asked,  of  the  hurrying  multitude. 

"  0  !  forage  !  la  pluie  !  courez  done  /" 

If  it's  only  a  squall,  there's  no  necessity  for  running,  we 
thought,  and  so  we  sought  cover  under  some  trees.  Here, 
however,  we  soon  became  uncomfortably  damp,  when  moving 
a  little  further,  we  crawled  beneath  a  cage  filled  with  hyenas. 
Strange  to  say,  these  beasts,  who  are  said  to  be  domestic  in 
their  tastes,  became  displeased  at  our  intrusion,  and  tried 


DIVERTISSEMENT. 


309 


to  get  hold  of  us  with  their  claws ;  so  that  there  was  no 
other  alternative  than  to  make  a  clean  bolt  for  more  agreeable 
shelter  in  the  city. 

Meanwhile,  the  rain  descended  in  cataracts ;  the  gutters 
and  sewers  overflowed,  and  the  water  rose  above  the  side- 
walks. At  every  bound  we  made,  the  torrents  became 
deeper  and  broader ;  and  when  we  reached  the  main  ravine 
of  a  street,  we  were  nearly  up  to  our  girdles  amidst  a  wreck 
of  planks,  boxes,  struggling  omnibuses,  screaming  women 
and  children.  Positively,  a  Mississippi  steamboat  full  of 


310  ScAMPAVIAS. 

cotton,  could  have  paddled  about  with  the  greatest  ease.  We 
really  expected  to  swim  for  it,  but  before  being  swept  into 
the  slimy  Port,  we  floated  into  an  eddy,  where  was  a  haven 
of  a  cafe",  and  thus  escaped  a  mud  and  watery  grave.  This 
was  our  last  visit  to  Saint  Lazarus. 


HALF-SEAS    OVER.  311 


Chapter   XXIX. 

"  Winds  that  like  a  demon, 
Howl  with  horrid  note, 
Round  the  toiling  seaman, 
In  his  tossing  boat." 

Half- seas   Over. 

AFTER  staying  some  weeks  at  Marseilles,  we  hoisted  sail, 
and  stretched  away  over  towards  the  coast  of  Spain.  It 
came  on  to  blow  mistral.  This  wind  comes  from  the  north, 
and  with  the  awful  sirocco,  they  are  the  two  most  detestable 
coursers  in  the  chariot  of  Eolus. 

Madame  de  Sevignd  describes  the  mistral  as,  le  tourbillon, 
Vouragan,  tons  Us  diables  dechainds  qui  veulent  bien  emporter 
votre  chateau  !  all  the  unchained  devils  striving  to  blow  away 
your  castle.  It  is  a  biting,  dried,  hardened,  gravelly  wind, 
filled  with  evil  wings,  and  it  sears  like  a  nip  of  cold  steel  all 
that  stands  in  its  path.  It  mingles  with  the  yellow,  dusty 
granite,  which  it  grinds  from  the  bleak,  rocky  hills,  and 
comes  screaming  in  piercingly  bitter  notes  out  to  sea,  rasps 
with  the  scrape  of  a  file  the  skin  off  your  face,  and  parches 
your  eyeballs  until  they  are  enamelled  like  porcelain. 

The  Frigate  jumped  about  the  short  seas  like  a  mad  cat ; 
the  Musicanti  and  the  French  cooks  were  thrown  on  their 


312  SCAMPAVIAS. 

beam  ends ;  the  Marine  who  invariably  snored  a  falsetto 
gamut,  beneath  the  rays  of  the  cockpit  lantern,  absolutely 
remained  awake  the  whole  watch.  Doctor  Lint,  who  usually 
did  the  harmony  of  that  region  on  a  cornstalk  violin,  threw 
by  his  instrument  of  torture,  and  lay  helpless  and  prostrate 
on  his  back ;  the  sailors  beat  all  Flanders  in  swearing,  and 
every  one  spoke  ill  of  the  mistral. 

Towards  morning,  however,  we  ran  beyond  its  influence, 
the  sea  went  down,  a  gentle  breeze  urged  us  pleasantly  along 
the  picturesque  coast  of  Spain,  and  before  us  lay  Barcelona, 
a  mass  of  white  buildings  spread  in  amphitheatre-like  form 
upon  the  sides  of  the  sloping  hills  and  plain.  Soon  we  dropt 
anchor  in  the  outer  roads. 

Barcelona  is  a  fine  town,  progressing  rapidly  in  wealth  and 
importance.  It  is  thriving,  populous,  and  solidly  built.  The 
streets  are  broad,  straight,  and  cut  each  other  at  right  angles. 
They  burn  gas  all  night ;  the  tall  tubes  of  factory  chimneys 
stick  up  in  many  directions  about  the  suburbs ;  great  stacks 
of  grain  and  piles  of  merchandise  encumber  the  ramparts ; 
there  is  a  railway,  too,  and  the  mules  are  regularly  shaved. 
This  summary  will  at  once  point  out  to  the  reflective  reader 
the  virtues  of  enterprise,  commercial  activity,  and  cleanli- 
ness. 

Yet  the  town  is  all  Spanish.  The  Alameda  is  thronged 
with  mantilla-robed  maidens ;  old  Duenas  stump  about  after 
their  tiny-footed  charges ;  the  Arrieros  wear  knives  in  their 
red  sashes ;  fungiones  and  bull- fights  prevail ;  so  do  revolu- 
tions, sometimes  twice  a  month ;  everybody  smokes,  and  all 
talk  a  villainous  dialect  called  Catalan. 


BARCELONA.  313 

Then,  too,  there  are  sombre  old  churches,  with  kneeling 
figures  wrapped  in  veils  or  mantas ;  the  mist  of  aloes  rising 
forever  from  the  swinging  censers ;  the  low  muttered  chants 
of  priests ;  burning  tapers,  and  an  occasional  peal  of  bells 
and  organs.  In  the  streets,  you  see  the  heavily  barred 
Spanish  windows,  with  deep  carpeted  sills,  where,  shaded  by 
veranda-like  curtains,  you  catch  glimpses  of  white  arms  and 
rattling  fans,  which  move  gracefully  and  enticingly  to  and  fro. 

There  is  not,  howerer,  a  decent  hotel  in  Barcelona.  The 
one  we  patronized  on  the  Calle  Mayor,  had  but  one  advan- 
tage, in  being  the  best  position  for  viewing  a  revolution  of  any 
Fonda  in  town.  Baths,  or  comfortable  quarters  in  any  shape, 
are  rarely  met  with  in  Spanish  inns.  The  table  d'hote,  too, 
is  always  crowded  with  ravenous  priests,  with  bristly,  scrub- 
bing-brush pates,  red  handkerchiefs,  and  snuff — which  they 
will  take  over  their  soup  as  an  appetizer  to  the  podrida.  The 
dishes  are  excellent,  though  the  cookery  might  be  improved 
with  less  garlic  and  rancid  oil.  I  am,  however,  fond  of  gar- 
lic myself,  but  I  rather  object  to  other  people  eating  it,  who 
move  much  in  polite  society. 

Arraying  ourselves  in  great  magnificence  of  bullion  and 
embroidery,  we  made  state  calls  upon  the  Authorities.  A 
pair  of  mettlesome,  vicious-bred  stallions  whirled  us  to  the 
gates  of  the  palace,  but  instead  of  going  in,  they  baulked, 
reared,  then  dashed  full  split  into  a  phalanx  of  soldiers  drawn 
up  to  receive  us.  The  pole  of  the  carriage  struck  the  front 
rank  en  tchelon,  as  it  were,  at  a  present  arms,  and  brought 
their  pieces  to  a  reverse,  quicker  probably,  than  they  had 
<3ver  performed  that  evolution  before. 


314  SCAMPAVIAS. 

The  officer  in  command  of  the  guard  ground  out,  "C-c-ristof 
que  brutos  !  que  demonios  de  infierno  /"  as  our  fierce  beasts 
lashed  out  with  their  hoofe,  and  rushing  on,  hurled  us  into 
the  courtyard. 

The  Captain  General  received  us  graciously.  He  was  in 
bourgeois,  but  each  button  of  his  plain  black  coat  was  a  dia- 
mond encased  in  gold.  He  was  extremely  civil ;  dry-washed  and 
wrung  his  hands  pleasantly  ;  offered  us  in  perfect  frankness  all 
he  possessed  in  houses  or  lands ;  to  command  him  to  any 
extent,  and  ended  by  begging  us  to  accept  his  state-box  for 
that  evening  at  the  theatre.  We,  in  return  to  these  polite 
speeches,  kissed  his  hands ;  the  feet  of  his  Excellency  ;  we 
hoped  he  might  live  many  years — a  thousand  years — in  fact, 
forever.  Then  he  bowed  us  out,  with  the  same  pleasant 
manner  of  dry-washing  and  wringing  his  aristocratic  hands, 
until  we  disappeared  from  view. 

From  the  Captain  General,  we  went  to  the  Governor  of 
the  city,  and  afterwards  to  the  Commander  of  the  Forces.  All 
were  very  civil  and  earnest  in  demeanor,  and  really  seemed 
anxious  to  encourage  the  most  cordial  relations. 

Neither  of  these  gentlemen — and  true  gentlemen  they  were 
— presented  the  appearance  of  the  noble  Hidalgos  in  the 
pictures  of  Velasquez — with  pink  satin  trowsers,  slashed  velvet 
doublets,  and  steel  hilted  Toledo  blades — but  yet,  they  were 
of  the  pure  blue-blooded  stock  of  old  Spain,  and  quite  as 
courtly,  and  perhaps  more  intelligent  and  sincere  than  their 
noble  progenitors. 

At  the  theatre,  where  we  went  in  the  evening,  we  were 
handsomely  received  by  an  aid-de-camp,  and  shown  into  the 


COQUETTAS.  315 

Captain  General's  box — a  small  saloon,  in  fact — adjoining  the 
royal  balcony.  The  play  was  hearty  old  Spanish  drama — 
perfectly  legitimate  and  suitable  to  the  times.  There  were 
Gonsalvos  di  Cordova — Dukes  of  Alva — Moors,  assassins — 
Queen  Isabel  of  Castile,  and,  of  course,  ancient  Kit  Columbus. 
Kit,  on  this  occasion,  resembled  a  red-legged  partridge  in  wor 
sted  hose  and  short  cloak,  fringed  with  tail  feathers.  A  very 
u'ood  play  or  a  very  bad  one,  are  alike  enjoyable,  and  in  one 
of  these  respects  our  tastes  were  gratified. 

The  General,  attended  by  a  brilliant  staff  of  agreeable  officers^ 
paid  us  marked  attention.  Ices  and  liqueurs  were  served  in 
profusion,  and  they  absolutely  sat  out  the  entire  performance. 
This  last  attention,  I  thought  the  most  self-sacrificing  evi- 
dence of  kindness  than  anything  they  had  hitherto  done  for 
us. 

We  were  presented,  also,  to  some  charming  Spanish  ladies, 
who  were  pretty,  glossy-haired,  bright-eyed,  and  innocently 
coquettish.  Lint,  as  usual,  fell  as  desperately  in  love 
as  his  susceptible  nature  would  permit,  and  declared  the 
maidens  of  Catalonia  were  ravishing  beyond  expression. 

It  was  not  until  the  great  cathedral  clock  struck  one, 
and  the  Serenos  cried  forth  three  quarter  past  midnight — 
which  was,  perhaps,  near  enough  for  a  watchman — that  we 
bade  adieu  to  our  hospitable  entertainers,  at  the  very  portals 
of  our  Fonda. 

Then  we  returned  to  our  chambers ;  made  an  ineffectual 
search  after  fleas  ;  killed  a  few  mosquitoes  in  revenge,  and  slept. 
The  following  morning  we  were  shaved  with  our  throats  half 
garroted  by  notched  silver  platters — after  the  manner  of  the 


316  SCAMPAVIAS. 

Barber  of  Seville — partook  of  a  chocolate  breakfast ;  sallied 
out  and  bought  some  Spanish  fans — made  in  France  ;  a  few 
second  hand  Barcelona  laces — gummed  up  and  ironed  out  to 
look  like  new — and  the  next  night  we  were  once  more  rolling 
off  in  the  gulf  of  Lyons. 


HALF-SEAS    UNDER.  317 


Chapter   XXX. 

Then  up  and  spake  an  old  jailor, 

Had  sailed  the  Spanish  Main, 
"  I  pray  thee,  put  into  yonder  port, 
For  I  fear  a  hurricane." 

Half- seas    Under. 

SKIRTING  along  the  bold  coasts  back  to  Sardinia,  we  turned 
to  Minorca,  where  we  lived  for  a  couple  of  months  on 
zopazada  sausages,  and  became  mildewed  to  such  an  extent, 
as  to  endanger  a  lumbago  epidemic  in  the  ship. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year,  however,  we  joyfully 
committed  ourselves  once  more  to  the  Briny,  and  saw  the 
windmills  of  old  Mahon  twirling  us  adieux  with  their  close- 
reefed  wings,  for  the  last  time,  as  we  sailed  away  from  Cape 
Mola. 

Bobbing  about  on  the  slate-colored  winter  sea,  we  ducked 
hither  and  thither  for  many  days.  We  would  go  for  an 
hour  or  two  under  all  sail,  with  the  wind  over  the  quarter, 
and  the  next,  there  we  were  floundering  under  double-reefed 
topsails,  with  the  spray  flying  high  up  the  weather-leeches  of 
the  courses,  and  the  gun-deck  a  cataract  of  brine,  from  the 
bridle  ports  to  the  main  hatch.  The  showers  of  snow  or 
sleet  would  swish  over  our  heads ;  the  gulls  would  peer  down 


318  SCAMPAVIAS. 

at  us  with  their  wicked  sharp  eyes,  wondering,  no  doubt, 
what  brought  us  out  in  such  weather ;  and  the  sailors  blew 
their  fingers,  and  muffling  themselves  in  their  warm  pea- 
jackets,  clustered  under  the  lee  of  the  weather  bulwarks. 
Whatsoever  port  we  headed  for — either  Villa  Franca  or 
Genoa — the  wind  was  certain  to  fillip  us  in  the  teeth,  and 
drive  us  away — like  a  stone  from  a  sling — elsewhere. 

At  night,  Mirrick,  Bristles,  and  the  rest  of  us  Pitites 
would  hold  divans  in  our  retreat.  Down  there  the  motion  of 
the  struggling  ship  was  comparatively  subdued,  and  we 
could  squat  about  the  deck  on  rugs,  sip  our  cold  grog,  read 
that  excellent  moralist,  Paul  de  Kock,  or  resurvey  our  Mahon 
purchases,  and  talk  pleasant  scandal. 

Visitors  would  occasionally  slide  down  the  cockpit-ladder 
secure  themselves  on  the  lower  step,  take  a  sneering  glance 
around,  and  inquire  what  you  fellers  are  about,  who  gives 
the  treat,  don't  you  want  to  keep  my  watch  ?  and  so  forth. 
As  the  night  waxed  older,  the  wind  would  howl  louder ;  the 
Frigate  would  twist  and  writhe  like  a  newly-awakened  sea- 
serpent,  and  the  boatswain  would  chirp  up  with  his  silver  bill 
for  all  hands  to  reef  topsails.  Then  followed  the  quick, 
energetic  orders  from  the  trumpet,  the  flapping  of  the  stout 
canvas,  the  rattle  of  the  slack-cordage,  and  the  rapid  tramp 
of  feet.  Then  it  was  time  for  us  idlers  to  bestow  ourselves  in 
our  bunks,  wedge  ourselves  tight  with  pillows  and  blankets, 
and  be  pitched  and  tossed  about  in  a  very  unstomachy 
manner. 

One  morning  T  made  an  attempt — after  being^  tea'd  and 
toasted — to  make  a  toilet ;  but  on  cutting  a  slice  clean  off 


HALF-SEAS    UNDER.  319 

ray  chin  while  shaving,  I  gave  it  up  in  despair,  slipped  on  my 
storm-rig,  and  went  on  deck. 

The  sky  was  cold,  grey  and  dreary.  The  high  lands  of 
France  broke  out  at  intervals,  with  their  snow- covered  heads 
nestling  warm  within  their  winter  mantles,  while  along  the 
beam  there  stretched  away  the  Hyeres  Islands,  and  when 
a  flash  of  sunlight  peered  out  from  the  dull,  dark  clouds, 
we  could  see  a  wide  sweep  of  the  French  coast,  dotted  with 
vineyards,  villages,  bourgs,  little  towers,  and  light-houses. 

Finding  it  useless  to  battle  against  adverse  winds  and 
tides,  the  helm  was  put  up,  and  the  lively  Frigate  flew  with  a 
slack  rein  into  the  large  bay  of  Hyeres,  where,  with  a  great 
fleet  of  wind-bound  vessels,  we  came  to  anchor.  The  gale, 
however,  chased  us  out  of  spite  into  the  haven :  the  barometer 
went  down,  and  so  did  a  couple  more  hang-dogs  of  anchors, 
and  then  we  defied  the  wind  and  sea  together,  both  of  which 
fought  us  in  the  most  savage  manner  for  nigh  upon  a  week. 

During  a  lull,  one  morning,  I  made  a  complimentary  call 
on  board  a  French  frigate  lying  near  us.  The  captain 
received  me  on  deck.  He  said  the  Cumberland  was  beauti- 
ful— charming — never  remembered  to  have  seen  anything 
like  her;  the  weather  was  terriblement  mauvais ;  the  question 
Turque  comme  fa  ;  and  then  he  bowed  me  over  the  side  with 
Siberian  courtesy,  without  seeming  to  be  in  the  least  desole, 
ravi,  nor  yet  charme  to  see  or  yet  part  with  me ;  which  I,  in 
( some  measure,  attributed  to  the  little  tiff  we  had  had  with 
Admiral  de  la  Susse. 

I  went,  also,  with  Bristles  on  shore  for  pratique.  We 
landed  at  a  small,  yellowish,  cluster  of  buildings,  within  half  a 


320  ScAMPAVIAS. 

league  of  the  anchorage.  There  we  were  met  by  several 
Douaniers,  attired  in  blue  pea-jackets  and  short  pipes.  The 
sergeant  stepped  forward,  as  if  on  the  point  of  detecting 
infection  through  the  medium  of  his  frosty  nose.  After  a 
careful  scrutiny  of  our  bill  of  health,  which  Bristles  held  up 
like  a  shield,  and  a  harsh  order  to  whip  away  a  dog,  who 
sniffed  contagion  from  our  heels — not  being  a  well  educated 
quarantine  cur — we  were  permitted  to  step  on  the  shore  of 
France,  and  enter  a  guard-room. 

We  learned  the  name  of  the  place  of  debarcation  to  be 
Salines  ;  a  spot  where  a  vast  quantity  of  salt  is  formed  during 
the  summer  solstice,  by  a  natural  process  of  evaporation. 
The  level  country,  for  a  goodly  distance  around,  was  cut  up 
into  pans  and  shallow  reservoirs,  where  the  sun  has  full  play 
upon  the  salt  water ;  while  beside  them  where  pyramidal 
pens,  covered  with  red  tiles  to  protect  the  porous  stacks  of 
salt  within. 

Having  now  got  on  shore,  we  set  off  for  the  town  of 
Hyeres,  which  lies  entwined  around  a  conical  eminence, 
about  five  miles  from  Salines.  The  road  was  excellent — as 
they  always  are  in  France — and  on  either  side  were  vine- 
yards, looking  black  and  desolate  of  grapes,  while  the  bare 
trunks  of  morus  multicaulis  lined  the  road.  On  our  right, 
were  forests  of  maple  and  poplar,  turning  their  pale,  green 
leaves  about  in  the  wind,  and  still  beyond,  were  ranges  of 
hills  and  mountains,  crowned  here  and  there  with  an  old 
tower  or  ruin  of  the  Middle  Ages  ;  while  on  the  left,  was  the 
broad  sea-lashed  bay,  crested  with  white  wave-caps,  and  the 
shipping  breasting  the  eastern  gale. 


PEASANTS    OF    THE    VAR.  321 

The  plains  were  spotted  with  flocks  of  black  sheep,  with 
the  bergers  wrapped  in  coarse,  serge  cloaks,  and  planted,  as 
they  might  be,  on  the  crooks  of  their  stout  staves,  leaving  to 
the  dogs  the  duty  of  keeping  the  flocks  within  bounds. 
Occasionally,  too,  we  passed  groups  of  women  and  girls — all 
peasants  of  the  Var — kneeling  on  the  ground,  with  each  a 
panier,  gathering  the  crop  of  olives  as  they  were  threshed 
from  the  ugly,  cadaverous  trees  above  their  heads.  Their  cos- 
tume struck  us  as  rather  peculiar.  The  head  covering  was  an 
immense  black  straw  flat ;  their  waists  were  under  the  armpits ; 
their  jupons  were  as  brief  as  Nature  would  tolerate  with  any 
regard  to  propriety,  and  their  sabots  would  have  been  whole- 
sale murder  on  a  velvet  carpet.  I  made  the  accompanying  fly- 
ing sketch  of  one  of  those  damsels  in  passing.  It  is  not  a  chef 
(Tceuvre  but  what  can  you  expect  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  ? 


322  SCAMPAVIAS. 

We  reached  Hyeres  at  high  noon.  It  is  a  very  nice  place, 
and  a  great  resort  for  invalids,  whether  in  health  or  purse. 
We  saw  several  English  families,  red-nosed  old  veterans  and 
dowdy  dowagers,  with  sweet,  fresh,  rosy-faced  girls  and  boys, 
who  were  pattering  about  in  stout  shoes,  or  riding  on  don- 
keys. We  sauntered  into  the  churches,  and  saw  the  statue 
of  the  Duke  of  Anjou;  the  bust  of  Massillon,  the  famous 
preacher  who  was  born  in  Hyeres,  and  then  we  passed 
through  the  fruit  market,  and  so  on  to  a  restaurant,  where, 
by  a  sign  in  the  window,  we  saw  that  "  English  is  speaken 
here."  Here  we  lunched  on  Roquefort  cheese,  bread  with 
butter  as  yellow  as  marigold,  and  delicious  fruits  washed 
down  by  a  bottle  of  L'Anglade.  Strolling  further,  we 
stepped  into  a  book  shop  and  library,  where  a  quiet  little 
flirtation  was  going  on  between  a  pretty  demoiselle  and  a 
jaunty  young  officer  of  carabineers,  bought  some  almanacs, 
and  thus  having  accomplished  our  mission,  we  beat  a  retreat 
for  the  Salines. 

Going  off  to  the  ship,  we  caught  an  awful  ducking,  for  the 
wind  was  rising  in  strength  and  wrath,  and  the  sea  dashed 
clean  over  the  cutter  at  every  dip  she  made.  It  was  sadly 
damaging  to  gold  lace  and  gilt  buttons,  but  we  were  only 
too  happy  once  more  to  regain  the  solid  hull. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  evening,  I  went  forward  on  the 
gun  deck  for  consolation.  There  I  found  Mirrick  sucking  his 
cigar  in  his  usual  methodical  and  oblivious  way.  Toker 
was  sniffling  with  a  violent  influenza,  and  speechless ;  so 
finding  conversation  languid,  I  betook  me  to  the  wardroom. 
In  that  resort,  there  were  none  but  Doctor  Bunter,  and  Bays, 


HALF-SEAS    UNDER.  323 

the  Marine,  playing  backgammon,  and  rattling  the  bones  of 
dice  like  Ethiopian  minstrels ;  and  again  being  lost  to 
society,  and  requested  to  take  my  ugly  mug  out  of  that,  and 
not  interrupt  the  game,  I  ordered  my  saloon  in  the  pit  illu- 
minated, and  went  to  bunk. 

During  the  raging  of  the  tempest  overhead,  while  I  was 
reading  "  Advice  to  Young  Mothers  "  in  one  of  my  illustrated 
almanacs,  and  wondering  why  no  advice  was  ever  tendered 
to  young  fathers,  I  was  aroused  by  the  loud  shouts  of  "  All 
hands  house  top-gallant  masts."  This  is  a  nautical  expres- 
sion, meant  to  convey  the  idea  of  sliding  down  and  securing 
those  long-pointed  masts,  from  where  the  pennants  fly,  to  the 
deck. 

While  the  bustling  throngs  of  sailors  were  pulling  away  at 
the  ropes,  or  clinging  to  the  slender  rigging  aloft,  I  heard  a 
shrill  shriek  as  if  from  a  bird  high  in  air,  and  caught  the  warn- 
ing cry  of  "  stand  from  under !"  At  the  words,  there  was  a 
hurried  rush  of  flying  feet,  and  the  next  instant  I  expected 
the  heavy  shock  of  falling  bodies  or  the  crash  of  broken 
spars  upon  the  deck,  but,  fortunately,  there  was  a  Providence 
in  the  matter.  Owing  to  some  unforeseen  accident,  the  main 
topgallant  mast  was  snapped  by  the  surging  of  the  ropes,  in 
three  pieces,  but  instead  of  pitching  headlong  down  and 
killing  or  maiming  a  dozen  men,  the  fragments  caught  in 
different  parts  of  the  rigging. 

Think  of  it,  you  land-lubber !  what  destruction  a  great 
stick  of  timber,  sixty  feet  long,  would  cause,  plunging  from 
three  times  its  height  aloft  among  crowds  of  sailors  in  the 
black  night !  Surely  it  must  have  been  the  intervention 

14* 


324  SCAMPAVIAS. 

of  that  sweet  little  cherub  who  sits  up  there  looking  out  for 
the  life  of  poor  Jack  ! 

Still  the  storm  roared  and  the  sea  raged ;  the  boatswain's 
mates  whistled  and  bawled ;  the  cables  shuddered  and 
groaned,  but  still  held  their  iron  gripe  upon  the  "  crooked 
bite"  of  the  anchors;  while  all  the  time,  till  daylight,  the 
dear  old  Frigate  bowed  her  dripping  head  into  the  tumultuous 
waves,  rose  again,  shook  the  brine  from  her  eyes,  as  staunch 
as  ever. 

I  began  to  think  the  time  had  come — looking  darkly 
as  possible  at  Fate — for  corking  up  a  valedictory  in  a  bottle, 
and  committing  it  to  the  deep,  in  anticipation  of  shipwreck. 
There  was,  however,  small  fears  on  that  score  for  us,  though 
numerous  lumbering  merchant  vessels  near  by  had  serious 
cause  for  alarm.  One  large  brig  parted  her  cables,  and  was 
thrown  a  helpless  wreck,  broadside  on  to  the  beach ;  whether 
the  crew  were  saved,  we  could  not  learn ;  and  another  craft 
nearly  shared  her  fate,  but  as  she  drifted  past  us  with  colors 
union  down,  and  her  crew  waving  their  arms  in  pitiable 
distress,  we  happily  managed  to  give  her  a  strong  hempen 
cable,  which  enabled  her  to  ride  out  the  gale  in  comparative 
safety. 

In  the  course  of  time,  the  wind  died  a  natural  death, 
leaving  only  long,  undulating,  unbroken  billows,  as  if  angry 
in  being  foiled  of  their  prey. 

With  a  breeze  which  blew  "in  the  shoulder  of  our  sail," 
we  left  Hyeres,  and  after  knocking  about  for  a  few  days 
in  the  Gulf,  we  at  last  crept  into  Genoa  during  a  blinding 
snow  storm,  and  moored  ship. 


G  E  N  O  V  A  . 


325 


Chapter    XXXI. 

"  'Tis  in  the  heart  of  Genoa  (he  who  comes, 
Must  come  on  foot),  and  in  a  place  of  stir." 


Genoa. 

WITH  my  faithful  companion  and  pitmate,  Mirrick,  I  took 
rooms  in  the  Hotel  Feder.     Our  apartments  were  very  high 


326  SCAMPAVIAS. 

up,  almost  out  of  sight  of  the  earth.  No  one  with  any 
pretensions  to  position  in  Genoa,  lives  below  one  hundred 
and  fifty  steps.  We  were  just  one  hundred  and  forty-nine, 
for  it  diverted  my  mind  by  counting  them  every  time  I  went 
up.  We  were  on  the  exact  level  with  the  lantern  of  the  tall 
lighthouse  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbor ;  for  we  made  a 
temporary  theodolyte  of  an  old  boot-leg,  and  ascertained  that 
fact  exactly. 

We  had  thoughts,  at  first,  of  taking  up  our  abode  at  the 
Albergo  Italia ;  but  the  proprietor  of  that  establishment 
declined,  one  night  at  supper,  to  swallow  more  than  one 
glass  of  rare  old  Xerez — which  he  had  generously  furnished 
us  at  two  dollars  the  bottle — so  that  we  went  to  the  Feder. 
The  severest  test  of  virtue  a  Boniface  can  be  put  to,  is  to 
make  him  drink  his  own  wine. 

The  Feder  was  kept  by  Madame  Feder — or  rather  it  kept 
her,  and  very  handsomely,  too,  I  should  judge,  from  the 
charges  she  made.  The  article  of  wood  alone,  drove  us 
to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy.  Like  Marius,  at  the  ruins 
of  Carthage,  I  used  to  sit  by  the  hour  watching  the  burning 
embers,  and  fancy  each  spark  thrown  off  was  a  glittering 
franc  consumed  in  darkness.  Wood,  in  fact,  cost  us  more 
than  beefsteaks. 

Our  breakfasts  were  not  bountiful,  though  palatable;  but  if 
we  did  not  decoct  strong  tea,  Lord !  how  strong !  it  was 
because  there  was  not  enough  in  the  caddy.  When  we  dined 
at  table  d'hote,  which  we  did  occasionally,  to  pass  judgment 
upon  distinguished  travellers,  whose  fame  might  reach  up  to 
our  quarters,  we  made  a  rule  to  destroy  all  we  could  not  eat. 


GOLD.  327 

There  was  something  revengefully  consoling  in  the  act,  and 
compensated  us  for  the  money  we  spent. 

No  one  should  go  abroad,  however,  in  these  days,  without, 
as  a  varlet  once  told  me — expecting  to  be  fleeced.  That 
Eldorado  of  California  has  done  it  all.  Not  that  bread  is 
dearer,  but  gold  has  fallen  in  value,  and  does  not  buy  so  much 
as  formerly.  In  fact,  the  cost  of  living  has  more  than  doubled 
in  the  past  ten  years,  in  all  the  great  towns  of  western  Europe ; 
and  our  people  live  more  extravagantly  than  all  the  world 
beside. 

You  cannot  go  anywhere,  but  along  thunders  the  heavy 
travelling  chariots.  Ho !  there  !  six  horses  on  the  lead  ! 
postillions  in  their  gala-boots  and  costumes  !  Ho  !  portly  cou- 
rier, in  glazed  cap  and  pouch  of  louis  d'ors  !  baggage  fourgon  ! 
and  the  grand  piano  suite  for  II  Signori  Americani ! 

Down,  too,  in  the  dark  little  streets  of  Genoa,  the  elegantly 
dressed  ladies,  in  paper  boots,  flounce  into  the  velvet  or  lace 
shops.  Robes  of  price,  and  hundreds  of  fathoms  of  rich 
old  fibres  of  Point  d'Espagne  or  Venice,  that  have  figured, 
time  out  of  mind,  on  the  backs  and  skirts  of  Popes,  Card- 
inals, Queens,  and  dames  of  high  degree;  or  on  altars  and 
saints — in  many  a  courtly  pageant — are  all  swept  into 
the  golden  laps  of  Le  Signore  Americane  !  So,  too,  in  Rome 
or  Florence — carved  furniture,  honeycombed  by  art  or  ages — 
it  matters  not;  pictures  and  sculpture,  coins  and  bronzes, 
are  shipped  away  at  fabulous  prices  for  the  Western  Croe- 


All  this  is  very  pleasant  and  instructive — not  a  doubt  of  it 
— but  where  is  it  to  end,  and  what  are  the  rest  of  us  poor 


328  SCAMPAVIAS. 

devils  to  do  on  a  moderate  stipend,  in  the  meanwhile  ?  An- 
swer me  that,  Master  Brooke  ? 

Yet  this  stream  of  gold,  poured,  as  it  is,  without  stint,  like 
an  auriferous  river  into  Italy,  is  beginning  to  be  felt.  It  flows 
as  well  into  the  palaces  as  the  churches.  Instead  of  decay  and 
mould  eating  up  those  masterpieces  of  art  and  renown,  they 
now  shine  forth  in  gorgeous  gilding,  fresco,  and  carving ;  the 
old  nobles  once  more  appear  in  their  princely  residences,  and 
the  lovely  dames  of  Balbi,  Serra,  Brignoli,  and  Doria,  flash 
and  blaze  with  renewed  splendor  in  the  superb  saloons  of  their 
ancestors'  palaces. 

In  Genoa,  especially  under  the  liberal  government  of  Sar- 
dinia, society  has  become  more  intelligent,  sound,  and  healthy 
than  ever  before.  Trade  flourishes  on  a  more  sold  basis  than 
even  in  the  days  of  the  Donas ;  the  priesthood  are  restrained  and 
bent  to  the  prevailing  progress  of  the  kingdom — they  are.  in 
fact,  drawn  in  the  conscriptions  for  the  army — the  schools  of 
science  flourish,  and  we  may  look  forward  to  no  distant  day 
when  this  germinating  influence  will  sweep  all  over  Lombardy 
and  southern  Italy,  and  rescue  the  fairest  country  the  sun  shines 
upon  from  despotism,  ignorance,  and  superstition. 

The  authorities  of  Genoa,  treated  us  with  extreme  considera- 
tion. We  had  cards  to  all  the  grand  receptions,  and  the  Admi- 
ral gave  us  a  banquet  in  the  old  admiralty  palace,  where  the 
carvings  on  the  table  were  nearly  as  rich  and  delicate  as  those 
of  the  beautiful  ceiling  above  our  heads. 

The  dancing  soirees  of  the  strada  Nuova  and  Balbi  were 
also  open  to  us,  where  we  saw  all  that  was  gay  and  brilliant 
of  the  city.  I  may  remark  here,  that  we  saw  none  of  the 


GENTILITY.  329 

slate-pencil  legged  boys  who  throng  the  drawing-rooms  of  the 
modish  houses  of  our  own  commercial  towns  ;  none  of  that 
class  of  precocious  youths — who  seem  to  have  been  born  only 
last  night — who  jump  apparently,  from  the  cradle  to  long- 
tailed  coats  and  a  billiard-table  ;  who  block  up  the  doorways, 
and  put  a  stop  to  all  sensible  conversation  ;  who  ignore  and 
overpower  all  quiet  middle-aged  men  like  myself,  to  the  great 
detriment  of  what  should  constitute  pleasant  and  agreeable 
society.  No  !  I  don't  remember  ever  to  have  seen  a  single 
example  of  this  species  in  Genoa,  and  they  were  probably 
packed  off  to  bed  at  an  hour  suited  to  their  time  of  life  and 
associations. 

We  had.  free  access,  also,  to  the  private  boxes  at  the  opera 
of  Carlo  Felice,  where  we  had  fine  music,  and  saw  the  usual 
brief  display  of  pink  tarletan  and  pretty  ankles  in  the  ballet. 

In  the  day-time,  when  violent  gusts  of  cold,  biting  wind 
took  a  respite  in  the  narrow  gorges  of  the  mountain,  we  would 
leave  the  little  clefts  of  streets,  and  stroll  around  the  ram,  arts 
by  the  sea,  or  saunter  amid  the  throngs  of  the  Aqua  Sola. 
There  is  ever  much  to  be  seen  of  interest  or  amusement. 
The  open-air  riding-schools  of  the  cavalry ;  the  everlasting 
broadsword  exercise  of  the  troops ;  the  fishermen  with  their 
brown  nets  and  sturdy  boats,  toiling  in  the  boiling  surf  of  the 
rocky  reefs  beneath  the  ramparts ;  the  fortifications  that 
have  withstood  real  and  bloody  seiges,  and  which  look  over 
many  a  league  of  land  and  sea ;  the  bright  and  varied  cos- 
tumes of  the  peasantry  ;  the  gaily  frescoed  villas,  and  the 
charming  views,  all  combine  to  make  Genoa  La  superba,  an 
attractive  city. 


330  SCAMPAVIAS. 

So  passed  the  winter,  and  when  the  orders  were  issued 
for  the  Frigate  to  prepare  for  sea,  we  gathered  up  our  traps 
descended  our  one  hundred  and  odd  steps  of  the  Hotel  Feder, 
and  returned  to  our  quarters  on  board. 


WAR   TIM  us.  331 


Chapter    XXXII. 

"  He  sings  his  songs,  and  smokes  his  weed, 

He  spins  his  yarn  of  monstrous  fables, 
He  cracks  his  biscuit,  and  at  need 
Can  soundly  sleep  on  coiled  up  cables. 

"  Though  the  sea  be  sometimes  rough, 

His  bark  is  stout,  its  rudder  steady, 
Ant  other  whiles  'tis  calm  enough, 
And  buxom  as  a  gentle  lady." 

War    Times. 

WE  sailed  round  to  Spezia,  where  cramming  the  capacious 
stomach  of  the  Frigate  with  salt-beef,  pork,  biscuit,  whisky, 
and  water — the  provisions  she  most  affected — we  once  more 
raised  the  sea-washed  anchors,  and  steered  Levantward. 

On  this  cruise  we  were  tugged  by  a  fine  side-wheel  steamer, 
the  good  ship  Saranac — vice  the  San  Jacinto,  which  old 
Smoker,  with  her  fractured  shafts,  and  cranks  in  splints,  and 
her  leaky  valves  and  boilers  stopped  up  with  clay,  had  been 
ignorniniously  ordered  home  to  be  sold  for  old  iron. 

With  furled  sails  and  square  yards,  or  else  at  times  with 
the  broad  topsails  and  lofty  canvas  spread,  to  catch  a  favoring 
breeze,  and  take  up  the  "slip"  of  the  powerful  steamer  ahead, 
we  ran  gallantly  on  our  course.  We  had  plenty  of  sea-corn- 


332  So  AM  PA  vi  AS. 

pany  too,  for  the  whole  Mediterranean  from  Gibraltar  to  the 
Dardanelles,  was  alive  with  sail,  and  steam  transports,  bearing 
their  cargoes  of  troops  and  horses  to  the  borders  of  the  Bos- 
phorus.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  that  we  did  not  see  a  squad- 
ron of  frigates  or  huge  steamers,  their  decks  clustering  with 
soldiers,  with  their  red  legs  dangling  over  the  gunwales,  or 
scarlet  coats  peeping  through  the  ports.  Ah  !  many  of  those 
legs  became  redder,  and  their  jackets,  likewise,  before  the 
bloody  work  at  Sevastopol  was  ended. 

In  the  last  days  of  May,  1854,  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
Greek  Islands,  and  anchored  at  Milo.  This  place  is  the  great 
rendezvous  of  the  Archipelago  pilots,  and  not  unfrequently  for 
pirates  frequenting  these  seas.  It  is  a  barren  island,  with  a 
small  miserable  village  or  two,  perched  on  the  rocky  heights, 
looking  like  splashes  of  white-wash  in  the  flash  of  the  mor- 
ning sun. 

For  the  purpose  of  enjoying  a  little  equestrian  exercise,  a 
considerable  mob  of  us  landed  near  some  rickety  huts,  and 
chartered  all  the  four-legged,  hornless  animals,  on  the  island. 
It  required  an  amazing  deal  of  good  temper  and  skill  to  array 
these  brutes — of  the  donkey  species — with  appliances  for  sit- 
ting astride  of  them.  Some  had  what  the  natives  called  sad- 
dles— of  course  in  Greek — which,  in  a  modernized  country 
would  be  thought  wood-horses,  but  howbeit,  what  with  old 
rugs,  bits  of  leather,  sheep-skins,  and  improvised  rope  stir- 
rups ;  and  voting  the  most  diminutive  donkeys  to  the  men 
with  the  longest  legs,  we  were  soon  prepared  for  the  journey. 

The  first  attempt  at  a  start  was  a  decided  failure,  for  more 
than  half  of  the  beasts  would  not  budge,  except  to  kick  up 


WAR    TIMES.  333 

and  bite — doubling  themselves  up  perversely  the  while — until 
their  owners  nearly  twisted  their  tails  off ;  under  which  severe 
discipline  they  changed  their  minds,  and  giving  utterance  to 
brays  of  anguish,  bolted  in  a  lump. 

We  trotted  some  miles  up  the  rugged  hills,  where  a  few 
blades  of  grain  were  struggling  through  the  stony  fields,  when 
we  reached  an  underground  warren,  where  most  of  the  popu- 
lation had  burrowed  out  their  habitations.  A  little  beyond^ 
on  the  highest  point  of  Milo,  were  a  few  houses  above  ground, 
very  much  shattered  and  decayed,  but  yet  houses.  Stepping 
a  few  inches  to  the  earth,  from  our  steeds,  we  were  ushered 
by  some  white-headed  old  veterans  into  the  House  of  the 
Pilots,  where  these  storm-beaten  mariners  sit  all  the  day,  spy- 
glass in  hand,  peering  over  the  blue  water  of  their  sea-girt 
isle,  in  quest  of  ships  to  be  guided  through  the  labyrinths 
beyond.  Pretty  Greek  girls,  and  frightful  old  matrons,  all 
with  very  dirty  feet  and  faces,  served  us  with  pipes  and  sour 
wine.  Their  sires — who  had  known  us  from  the  days  of  our 
sucking  reefer-dom,  up  to  epaulets  on  our  shoulders — recount- 
ed the  dangers  they  had  passed,  and  the  awful  gales  they  had 
weathered,  time  out  of  mind.  It  was  interesting  to  hear  them, 
in  their  polyglot  lingo,  recall  the  strirring  events  of  their 
profession.  "  Attendez  !  mon  Lootenant,"  said  old  Matteo, 
"  spose  you  tink  ov  ze  night  in  dat  harricane  orage,  wen  we 
wos  in  ze  Myconi  passage ;  me  sabe  the  rochers  by  light  ov  flash 
ov  lightning — same  time  ze  Frenchy  seventee-four  go  nau- 
frage  to  pieces  on  ze  rocks — lose  um  all  hands !  Diable  !  how 
urn  blow !  Remember  dat  time  ?"  Aye  !  there  were  some  of 
us  who  did  remember  that  time,  when  the  struggling  Frigate, 


334 


S  CAMP A  VIA8. 


on  a  dead-lee  shore,  in  the  inky  night,  with  battened  down 
hatches,  and  '»e  lee  hammock  nettings  under  water  with  the 
pressure  of  the  howling  tempest,  when  all  hands  were  called 
to  save  ship ! 

Don't  come,  my  amateur  sailor,  to  the  Archipelago  in  the 
winter  months,  without  keeping  an  eye  to  windward  for  the 
fierce  gales  which  rush  like  the  Furies  out  of  the  gorges  and 
narrow  straits  of  the  islands.  Better  cruise  in  the  trade-wind 
seas,  or  stay  at  home  and  paddle  in  a  duck-pond. 

Remounting  our  donkey  chargers,  we  toddled  down  the  steep 
cliffs  to  the  landing,  spilling  a  too  eager  messmate  occasion- 
ally from  his  saddle,  or  stopping  a  few  minutes  to  cudgel  one 
or  two  rascally  Greeks  who  tried  to  indulge  themselves  in  their 
national  pastimes  of  picking  pockets,  somewhat  after  this  style. 


THE    CITY    OF    ROSES.  335 


Chapter    XXXIII. 

"  Now  as  the  paradisiacal  pleasures  of  the  Mahometans  consist  in  playing  upon 
the  flute  and  lying  with  houris,  be  mine  to  read  eternal  new  romances  of  Marivaux 
and  Crebillon." 

The    City    of    Roses. 

FROM  Milo,  we  steamed  away  for  Smyrna.  Passing  up 
the  gulf,  with  the  inbat  or  sea-breeze  fanning  the  smooth  sur- 
face of  the  water,  and  leaving  Vourla  on  our  right,  we  moored 
abreast  of  the  City  of  Roses. 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  red  arid  aspect  of  Greece  and 
the  Islands,  the  verdure  here  is  fresh  and  smiling,  the  green 
is  intense,  and  the  embowering  foliage  of  the  fig  groves 
mingled  with  majestic  cypresses,  sweeps  up  from  the  shores 
to  the  circling  hills  which  bound  the  gulf. 

The  harbor  was  alive  with  caiques,  skimming  like  mosquito 
hawks  hither  and  thither ;  steamers  and  transports  filled  with 
troops — some  of  them,  the  one-eyed  Egyptian  contingent, 
contributed  by  the  Pasha — a  couple  of  Dutch  frigates,  some 
French  men-of-war,  and  the  Austrian  corvette  which  figured 
in  the  Kosta  affair,  and  came  so  near  going  up  in  the  air  or 
finding  the  bottom  of  the  gulf,  through  the  intervention  of 
Ingraham's  guns. 

Smyrna  is  the  most  modernized  walkable  Mohammedan 


336  SOAMPAVIAS. 

town  under  the  banner  of  the  crescent  in  the  East.  Many 
of  the  houses  are  solid  and  comfortable,  and  some  of  the 
streets  are  paved,  and  not  much  infested  with  dogs.  In  the 
Armenian  quarter,  the  dwellings  are  spacious  and  well-built. 
The  court-yards  are  cooled  by  spouting  fountains,  and  pots  of 
brilliant  flowers  give  forth  their  sweet  perfumes.  There  too, 
in  the  morning,  you  behold  lovely  women,  with  uncovered 
faces,  and  rather  decollete'  dresses,  exposing  their  rounded  vol- 
uptuous forms,  as  they  sit  beneath  the  awnings  sipping  spoon- 
fuls of  sweetmeats,  like  veritable  houris.  You  see  them  too, 
after  the  noon-tide  siesta,  in  their  rich  robes  and  head-gear, 
with  glowing  black  eyes,  gazing  at  the  Franks  who  pass,  with 
modest  curiosity. 

There  are  pleasant  walks  also,  beyond  the  city,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  suburb  of  Bournabat.  But  you  must  be  cautious, 
and  not  extend  your  promenade  too  far,  or  leave  your  pistols 
at  home ;  for  there  are  famous  brigands  hereaway,  who,  if 
they  take  a  fancy,  will  whisk  you  off  to  the  mountains  in  no 
time,  and  if  a  ransom  be  not  paid  by  the  next  morning,  they 
will  chop  off  your  head,  and  send  it  to  your  friends  in  a  fig- 
basket.  The  chief  of  one  of  these  bands  was  caught  just  pre- 
vious to  our  arrival  at  Smyrna,  but  as  he  had  honorably 
shared  his  earnings  with  a  Turkish  Cadi  of  distinction,  he 
was  let  loose  again  ! 

There  is  exceedingly  pleasant  Frank  society  in  Smyrna, 
great  numbers  of  Consuls  and  commercial  men,  who,  when 
the  fig-packing  season  is  over,  devote  themselves  to  pleasure 
and  hospitality.  Hotels — decent  ones — there  are  none,  though 
raff's  and  pilaus-shops  abound.  The  cafe's  line  the  curving 


THE    CITY    OF    KOSES.  337 

brink  of  the  quay,  where  cool  sea-breezes  greet  you,  and  you 
puff  your  chibouque,  and  sip  coffee  or  ices  with  satisfaction. 

In  one  of  these  resorts,  which  stands  on  post-like  stilts  half 
over  the  water,  was  where  the  enlevement  of  Kosta,  the  Hun- 
garian, was  effected.  "  Ecco !  signore,"  said  a  dark-browed, 
bilious  looking  Italian  refugee  to  me  one  day,  as  he  stamped 
his  foot,  till  the  crazy  floor  of  boards  trembled  and  quaked, 
"  Here  on  this  bench  sat  my  friend,  in  the  act  of  smoking  his 
pipe,  when  suddenly  he  was  beset  by  some  monsters  of  rene- 
gades, who,  after  a  violent  struggle,  seized  and  tossed  him 
into  the  bay.  Cospetto !  there,"  pointing  with  a  quivering 
finger,  "  lay  in  wait  the  boats  and  crews  of  that  cursed  brig  of 
Austria,  who,  beating  him  like  fiends  with  their  oars,  pulled 
him,  bruised  and  bloody,  in  amidst  them,  and  carried  their  prey 
to  the  ship.  By  the  blood  of  Christ !  would  that  I  could  have 
passed  my  stiletto  through  their  infamous  hearts  !"  Suiting 
the  action  to  the  word,  he  clutched  the  hilt  of  a  knife  within 
the  folds  of  his  vest,  but  relaxing  his  grasp,  he  went  on  with 
a  grim  smile — u  Ah  !  Excellenza  mio,  when  the  brave  Cap- 
tais  Ingraham  got  ready  his  gallant  ship,  and  moved  close  to 
the  Austrians,  how  we  prayed  for  the  moment  when  the  red 
flame  should  leap  out  from  his  cannon,  and  destroy  those,  our 
bitter  enemies.  Diavolo !  but  they  cried  peccavi ;  cowards 
that  they  are.  I  am  a  poor  painter,  signore,  with  scarcely 
a  maravedi  in  the  world,  but  I  would  give  my  right  arm  to 
kiss  the  hands  of  that  brave  officer  of  your  republic  !" 

I  gave  my  enthusiastic  artist  some  maravedis  and  a  cup  of, 
chocolate,  which,  perhaps,  did  him  more  good,  physically 
than  the  loss  of  his  limb  possibly  could. 
15 


338  SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter     XXXIV. 

"  Of  all  bis  harem,  all  that  busy  hive, 

With  music  and  with  sweets  sparkling  alive, 
He  took  but  one." 

The   Pasha  and  his  Harem. 

IN  the  society  of  noble  Turks  in  which  I  had  the  honor  to 
move  in  Smyrna,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Pasha.  He 
was  a  Greek  by  birth,  educated  in  France,  but  gaining  favor 
in  the  eyes  of  his  Imperial  Master  as  a  physician,  he  turned 
Turk,  and  rose  to  power  under  the  empire.  He  was  a  man 
of  talent,  and  very  courteous  in  demeanor. 

I  met  the  Pasha  one  evening  at  a  soiree  given  by  a  Consul- 
General,  and  in  the  cool  garden  of  that  residence,  he  compli- 
mented me  with  ever  so  many  bowls  of  precious  latakia,  from 
the  jewelled-clasped  casket  of  his  own  pipe-bearers,  and  we 
blew  srnoke  at  each  other  for  two  pleasant  hours.  I  found 
him  highly  intelligent  and  conversible,  and  thought  that  if  the 
Sultan  had  a  few  more  such  rulers  over  his  Pashaliks,  the 
empire  would  get  on  far  better  than  it  had  done  for  several 
centuries  past. 

There  were  some  ladies  of  our  party,  whom  the  Pasha 
politely  invited  to  visit  his  harem.  He  would  have  extended 


THE    PASHA    AND    HIS    HAREM.       339 

the  same  courtesy  to  me,  but  as  none  other  of  the  male  species 
than  music-masters,  physicians,  and  eunuchs  were  admitted 
within  those  sacred  precincts,  and  as  I  unfortunately  did  not 
come  strictly  within  the  rule,  I  was  denied  the  pleasure.  Our 
country-women,  however,  went.  The  Pasha's  palace,  as  those 
ladies  described  it,  was  an  old  fashioned  summer-house  on  a 
large  scale,  all  wooden  lattice-work,  and  tumble-down  stairs. 
Entering  the  gate-way,  they  were  conducted  by  a  negro,  up 
two  flights  of  stairs,  where  they  were  met  by  a  troop  of  ugly 
women  in  blue  calico  trowsers  and  bare  feet,  their  hair  dan- 
gling about  their  ears,  who  deprived  them  of  their  parasols  and 
other  defensible  feminine  property.  They  were  then  shown 
into  a  large  hall,  running  the  entire  length  of  the  building, 
having  deep  bay  windows  at  either  end,  in  one  of  which  was 
a  piano,  yellow  ottomans  auJ  chairs.  The  furniture  was,  in 
fact,  European. 

At  one  end  of  the  room  stood  the  Pasha's  wife — the  only 
one,  as  our  ladies  were  pained  to  hear,  that  despot  possessed — 
and  beside  her  was  a  grown  daughter,  together  with  a  little 
boy  and  girl.  Their  dresses,  though  very  rich,  were  unbecom- 
ing, and  in  the  absence  of  crinoline,  perfectly  absurd*  The 
wife  wore  a  red  and  gold  tissue,  over  red  silk ;  full  trowsers 
hid  the  feet  entirely,  and  over  them  fell  an  upper  dress,  which, 
being  made  of  "  two  widths  "  only,  gave  the  appearance  of  a 
very  full  pillow  stuffed  into  a  very  narrow  pillow  case.  This 
upper  robe  swept  a  yard  or  two  on  the  floor,  and  was  slit 
open  in  front  to  the  knees,  so  as  to  admit  of  a  little  shuffling 
locomotion.  The  waist  was  fashioned  in  the  usual  mode,  but  as 
neither  whalebone  nor  steel  was  inserted,  the  pillow-like 


340  SCAMPAVIAS. 

appearance  was  typified  throughout.  A  thin  silk  gauze  under 
the  dres?,  partly  screened  the  neck  and  bust.  The  mother 
had  her  hair  cut  short — having  lost  it  by  fever — and  wore  on 
her  head,  attached  in  some  inscrutable  manner,  a  profusion  of 
flowers,  ribbons  and  diamonds.  She  had  also  splendid  bril- 
liant ear-rings,  and  necklace,  and  a  sapphire  ring  of  enormous 
size.  The  daughter,  a  maiden  of  about  seventeen  years,  was 
attired  in  the  same  style,  only  the  color  of  her  costume  was 
pink  with  silver  trimmings,  and  she  wore  large  pearls  around 
her  throat.  Both  were  very  stout,  and  exquisitely  beautiful. 
Their  hair  and  eyes  were  black,  and  the  expression  was  per- 
fect. The  little  girl  was  one  mass  of  tinsel,  and  had  a  full 
grown  bird  of  paradise,  and  a  large  spray  of  diamonds  on 
her  head.  The  boy,  a  small  man  of  four  years  of  age,  wore 
a  full  suit  of  dark  blue  cloth.  The  front  and  tiny  collar  stiff 
with  gold  embroidery,  a  broad  stripe  of  gold  lace  down  the 
seams  of  his  little  trowsers,  and  his  long  yellow  curls,  which 
fell  on  his  shoulders,  was  surmounted  by  a  red  fez.  Our 
ladies  thought  of  their  own  little  ones,  in  cool  white  frocks, 
pretty  bare  arms  and  shoulders,  and  pitied  these  imprisoned 
Turkish  babies  from  their  hearts. 

The  party  had  been  seated  but  a  moment,  when  the  Pasha 
himself  came  in.  His  wife  handed  a  chair,  and  crouched  on 
the  cushions  behind  him.  He  addressed  himself  politely  in 
French  to  our  ladies,  begged  them  to  excuse  his  wife  and 
daughter,  if  they,  in  ignorance  of  foreign  customs,  did  any- 
thing peculiar,  and  then  bowed  himself  out. 

The  universal  sweetmeats  were  now  handed  on  little  silver 
dishes,  and  on  the  tray  was  a  vase  full  of  spoons,  and  another 


THE    PASHA    AND    HIS    HAREM.       341 

empty,  in  which  the  spoons  were  dropped  after  every  taste. 
Then  came  coffee,  the  cups  resting  in  jewelled  stands,  and 
then  conversation  began.  This  was  effected  through  an  inter- 
preter, by  a  bridge  formed  of  the  Turkish  and  modern  Greek 
languages,  into  French.  The  Ottoman  ladies  said  they 
amused  themselves  by  sewing  a  little,  very  little,  by  going 
out  on  the  water  in  a  caique  occasionally,  and  sometimes, 
being  muffled  and  shut  up  in  a  carriage,  where  they  could 
not  see  anything.  But  all  the  while,  they  deeply  envied  the 
Frank  women,  who  could  move  about  the  world,  talk  to 
whom  they  pleased,  and  make  purchases.  They  were  also 
particularly  curious  with  respect  to  feminine  mysteries,  the 
precise  tenor  of  which  I  did  not  learn.  The  daughter  played 
the  piano,  too,  while  the  mother  looked  on,  delighted  at  this 
exceedingly  rare  accomplishment  in  Turkey. 

Our  countrywomen  were  charmed  with  these  specimens 
of  Turkish  ladies,  and  thought,  in  spite  of  the  bondage  in 
which  they  existed,  their  customs,  education  and  dress — 
which  all  tended  to  repress  ease  of  manner,  or  conversation — 
that  they  were  admirably  successful  in  paying  pretty  atten- 
tions to  their  visitors.  During  the  whole  of  the  visit,  the 
poor  little  children  were  on  their  knees  behind  their  mother, 
and  a  circle  of  slaves  went  stumbling  about  in  their  incon- 
venient dresses,  to  the  great  peril  of  the  cups  and  other  rare 
articles  they  carried. 

On  leaving,  they  embraced  cordially,  and  expressed  the 
greatest  pleasure  and  gratification  to  our  ladies  for  making 
the  visit. 

Our  countrywomen    having    now  seen  the  Turks,  with  a 


342  .SOAMPAVIAS. 

laudable  curiosity  desired  to  see  the  Jews.  I  had  the  plea- 
sure to  attend  them.  We  were  conducted  by  one  Leah,  a 
person  who  had  turned  an  honest  penny  out  of  us  in  the  sale 
of  perfumes,  shawls,  and  amulets.  His  habitation,  which  also 
covered  the  families  of  all  his  relatives,  was  a  large  wooden 
structure,  enclosing  a  court,  and  cut  up  into  a  vast  number 
of  small  rooms. 

In  the  reception  salon  we  had  pipes  and  coffee,  and  reposed 
the  while  on  cushioned  divans.  The  house  was  thronged 
with  women  and  girls,  some  of  them  very  beautiful,  but  our 
ladies  thought,  with  too  bold  and  brazen  faces.  Their  hair 
was  black  and  abundant,  and  fell  in  multitudes  of  braids  down 
their  backs,  giving  them  a  somewhat  squawy  and  weird-like 
appearance.  They  all  spoke  Spanish,  and  we  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  making  ourselves  understood.  Trade,  however,  was 
never  touched  upon,  and,  indeed,  I  never  knew  an  eastern 
Jew  to  broach  that  topic  within  the  threshold  of  his  man- 
sion. 


DANCING    DERVISHES.  343 


Chapter    XXXV. 

"  Wherever  God  erects  a  house  of  prayer, 

The  Devil  always  builds  a  chapel  there ; 
And  'twill  be  found  upon  examination, 
The  latter  has  the  largest  congregation." 

Dancing   Dervishes. 

ONE  Sunday  morning  we  planned  an  expedition  to  a  Dervish 
Church,  which  stands  on  one  of  the  steep  hills  which  overlook 
the  bay.  It  was  a  terrible  tramp  over  the  stony  ground  to 
get  up  to  it,  but  at  last  we  succeeded.  We  were  beguiled 
towards  the  close  of  the  walk  by  a  boy  in  an  odd-looking  stove- 
pipe-hat, green  cloak,  and  dirty  petticoats,  who  howled  awfully 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  in  calling  the  people  to  prayers. 

On  a  clear  spot,  in  front  of  the  Church,  we  were  met  by  a 
cluster  of  as  villainous  looking,  ragged  scoundrels  as  could 
have  been  gathered  together  in  the  Levant.  They  looked 
like  Bashibazouks  and  Brigands,  who  had  not  done  a  good 
business  of  late,  and  were  waiting  the  opportunity  to  resume 
operations  in  their  calling.  They  were  immediately  attracted 
by  a  large  family  crystal  seal,  attached  to  a  watch,  worn  by 
our  friend,  Mr.  Dunwoodie,  of  Culpepper  County,  Virginia,  and 
at  once  surrounded  us.  One  of  the  boldest  of  the  group 
approached,  and,  with  a  wolfish  glare  out  of  his  eyes,  demanded 


344  SCAMPAVIAS. 

to  know  if  it  was  a  diamond  ?  Our  friend,  taking  pride  in 
'  the  family  treasure,  gave  him  to  understand  that  it  was  not 
exactly  a  stone  of  that  water,  but  something  equally  valuable. 
This  was  received  by  a  gleam  of  ferocious  civility  by  the  raga- 
muffins, but  I  took  the  liberty  to  instantly  correct  any  such 
dangerous  impression,  by  assuring  them  that  the  bauble  they 
so  much  admired,  was  merely  a  decanter-stopper,  which  it 
closely  resembled,  and  only  valuable  for  old  glass.  This, 
however,  was  evidently  received  with  contemptuous  disgust, 
and  I  began  to  be  scared,  for  the  day  being  warm,  we  had  left 
our  side-arms  in  the  town,  and  we  only  had  one  sword  against 
a  horde  of  wretches  stuck  as  thick  as  could  be,  with  pistols 
and  daggers.  We  desired  them,  therefore,  to  stand  off,  while 
we  closed  up  and  entered  the  church. 

In  the  centre  of  the  church  was  a  square  sort  of  arena,  with 
a  deep  niche  in  the  wall  on  one  side,  while  all  around  ran  a 
railing,  leaving  room  for  the  believers  to  kneel  or  squat,  and 
where  we  found  seats.  Above,  were  latticed  galleries  for 
women,  and  a  space  for  musicians.  There,  also,  some  of  our 
Bashibazouk  acquaintances  bestowed  themselves,  keeping  a 
hopeful  regard  at  the  decanter-stopper. 

There  were  six  dervishes,  the  chief  standing  in  the  niche, 
while  the  remaining  ones  stood  at  his  side.  They  had  white 
skirts,  close-fitting  cloth  jackets,  and  brown  or  green  cloaks. 
The  feet  were  bare,  and  on  their  heads  they  wore  brimless 
flower-pot  shaped  funnels  of  hats,  the  color,  and  consistency 
of  sponge.  The  chief  had  his  own  hat  decorated  with  a  green 
scarf.  He  led  off  the  ceremonies  by  bendings  and  genuflec- 
tions, imitated  by  the  others,  to  the  music  of  drums  and  lugu- 


DANCING    DERVISHES. 


345 


brious  chanting  from  above.  After  this  the  chief  took  the 
floor,  and  turning  slowly  once  round  the  vacant  space,  he 
then  regained  his  niche,  and  the  spinning  began. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  give  any  exact  idea  of  this  mode  of 
worship,  for  to  one  who  has  never  witnessed  the  process,  he 
would  believe  it  beyond  a  man's  endurance  to  perform  at  all. 

The  dancers  take  off  their  cloaks,  and  loosening  their  gir- 
dles, their  dresses,  while  in  repose,  sweep  the  floor.  Placing 
the  right  foot  as  a  pivot  on  the  ground,  and  galloping  with 
the  left  over  it,  with  half-closed  eyes,  and  arms  first  crossed, 
and  then  extended,  like  the  blades  of  a  screw  propeller,  or  the 
regulator  of  a  steam-engine,  they  slowly  begin  to  revolve 


Id* 


346  SCAMPAVIAS. 

round  and  round  the  circuit  of  the  room.  At  the  same  time 
their  flowing  dresses  become  inflated  like  the  half  of  a  balloon 
or  a  bell,  and  stand  out  in  graceful  curves,  while  the  spinning 
lasts.  This  can  only  be  done  by  the  most  perfect  a  plomb- 
like  regularity  of  balance  and  motion.  The  dervishes,  that 
we  saw,  twirled  in  this  manner  for  forty-five  minutes,  mak- 
ing but  two  pauses  of  a  few  seconds  each,  during  the  dance, 
to  bow  to  their  chief.  Finally,  they  stopped,  the  water  pouring 
like  rain  from  their  faces,  and  putting  on  their  cloaks,  sank  ex- 
hausted to  the  ground,  and  seemed  to  indulge  in  prayer,  while 
the  doleful  music  from  the  choir  still  continued.  The  best 
spin  was  made  by  a  youth  about  fifteen  years  old,  who  exhi- 
bited himself  somewhat  in  the  way  shown  on  the  previous  page. 

Leaving  the  church,  we  were  again  surrounded  by  those 
thievish  Bazouks,  who  were  extremely  solicitous  that  we 
should  extend  our  tour  a  little  further — only  a  step  or  two— 
up  the  country,  to  see  how  fine  the  view  was — all  the  while 
having  burglarious  eyes  upon  the  family  diamond.  But  we 
positively  declined  to  gratify  them,  and  moving  off  with  a 
crowd  of  more  respectable  looking  Believers,  we  hurried  down 
the  hill. 

On  another  occasion,  we  had  a  glorious  little  ball  and  pic- 
nic by  daylight,  given  by  the  family  of  our  hospitable  Consul, 
Mr.  OfHey,  at  their  pretty  villa  in  Bournabat,  We  took  boats 
to  cross  the  bay,  in  preference  to  donkey-back  ride  by  the 
road,  and  the  chance  of  meeting  the  Bashibazouks  of  the  inte- 
rior. We  had  a  mile  or  two  to  walk  from  the  point  where  we 
landed,  but  the  weather  was  fine,  and  the  country  charming,  so 
we  did  not  mind  it.  The  ladies,  however,  were  provided  with 


DANCING    DERVISHES.  347 

jaunty-cars,  somewhat  on  the  omnibus  order,  and  so  were  tho 
musicanti  with  the  big  drum  and  ophicleide  instruments. 

I  fancy  few  will  ever  forget  the  delightful  hours  we  passed 
in  the  lovely  grounds  of  that  bower  of  a  summer-house,  in  the 
dense  shade  of  the  waving  trees.  How  we  danced  and  fro- 
licked on  the  grass,  made  wreaths  and  earrings  of  ivy  and 
flowers  for  the  ladies,  ran  races,  did  jugglery,  threw  acrobats, 
made  gymnastics,  and  did  a  world  of  pleasant  things.  Aye  ! 
how  we  forgot  that  such  contrivances  as  ships,  with  narrow, 
hot  berths  and  quarter  decks,  or  middle  watches  existed — 
while  we  lounged  beneath  the  cooling  shade  of  the  foliage, 
listened  to  the  sweet  music,  ate  ices,  drank  champagne  and 
milk-punch,  and  became  rural  exceedingly. 

If,  perchance,  that  charming  old  lady  who  entertained  us, 
and  her  agreeable  descendants,  should  ever  read  these  lines, 
they  must  believe,  that  though  thousands  of  miles  now  sepa- 
rate us,  we  still  remember  their  kindness  and  hospitality  dunng 
our  pleasant  visit  to  Smyrna. 

With  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  we  embarked  in  our  flot- 
tilla  of  cutters,  and  with  the  spray  flying  over  us  against  the 
strong  inbat,  we  soon  regained  the  ships. 

In  another  week,  we  were  once  more  steaming  bravely  down 
the  gulf,  where  touching  for  water  at  Vourla,  we  went  to  the 
Island  of  Syra  for  a  brief  quarantine  ;  thence,  for  a  last  adieu  to 
the  Piraeus,  and  so  down  the  Mediterranean  to  Naples.  There 
leaving  the  flag-ship,  I  jumped  on  board  the  Saranac,  and  in 
forty-eight  hours  her  untired  wheels  ceased  revolving  in  the 
gulf  of  Spezia. 


348 


SCAMPAVIAS. 


Chapter    XXXVI 

"  And  now  I've  ended,  what  I  pretended, 
This  narration  splendid,  without  poet-thry, 
Ye  dear  bewitcher,  just  hand  the  pitcher, 
Faith!  it's  myself  that's  getting  mighty  dliry 


"ALL  KOADS  LEAD  TO  ROMK. 

Dispatches. 

'"  SIGNORE,"  said  I,  to  our  Vice-Consul — that  official  not 
parleying  the  American  language,  nor,  in  fact,  any  written 
tongue — "  Signore,  I  am  bound  post-haste  to  Naples,  with 
ever  so  important  dispatches,  and  wish  you  to  vise  these  little 
documents,  and  place  the  seal  of  the  Great  Republic  thereon  " 

"  Why  not?"  said  he,  as  writing  some  ill-spelled  words  in 


DISPATCHES.  349 

bad  French  on  the  envelopes,  and  impressing  the  American 
eagle  and  gridiron  on  the  wax,  said,  "Voila!  Mossew!  six 
francs." 

"  What,"  I  exclaimed,  "  charge  for  doing  your  duty  ?" 

"  Sicuro  /"  he  replied,  with  his  dirty  paws  distended.  So 
I  paid  the  Vice-Consul,  and  with  a  post-chaise  at  the  door,  I 
sprang  in,  and  was  off. 

Whirling  along  by  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  gulf,  and 
nodding  to  the  lively  Contadini,  with  their  smuggled  cargoes 
of  sugar  or  calicoes  on  their  heads,  I  crossed  the  Magra,  and 
chirruped  the  horses  into  Modena.  Cielo !  how  lovely  the 
country  was,  with  its  bending  fields  of  yellow  grain  and  pur- 
ple grapes.  On  we  rolled  over  the  smooth  roads  by  the  sea, 
or  down  through  the  gentle  slopes  and  avenues  of  acacias, 
saluting  respectfully  at  every  mile  or  so  the  patrols  of 
mounted  carabineers,  who  moved  majestically  along,  in  quest 
of  revolutionists,  who  here  abound ;  observing,  too,  at  every 
relay,  great  pyramidal  stacks  of  pattens  in  the  rough,  like  so 
many  unfinished  timber-hewn  shoes,  for  the  entire  population 
perhaps,  of  northern  Italy.  On  I  went,  at  a  swinging  gallop, 
my  red-jacketed,  and  heavy  booted  postillion  shouting  and 
cracking  his  whip  like  a  demon,  until  just  as  we  struck  the 
stones  of  Pietro  Santo,  my  chaise  broke  down,  axle,  wheel, 
harness  and  horses,  while  my  brave  postillion  was  shaken 
clean  out  of  one  boot,  and  lay  kicking  up  the  road.  Snatch- 
ing a  hasty  meal,  I  chartered  another  conveyance,  and  by 
midnight  I  was  in  Livorno.  No  time  to  pause,  however,  so 
with  the  earliest  crack  of  dawn,  1  was  up  and  away  again. 

Not  by  the  sea-route,  for  the  cholera  was  used  as  a  political 


350  SCAMPAVIAS. 

check  to  keep  the  allied  belligerents  away  from  Naples,  so 
I  laid  my  course  by  way  of  Sienna  and  Rome.  At  noon,  by 
the  rails  I  was  at  Sienna,  and  having  an  hour  to  spare  before 
the  velocipede — or  some  such  designated  coach — started,  I 
ran  through  the  noble  cathedral,  and  after  taking  a  good  look 
at  the  famous  bronze  wolf  which  suckled  the  founders  of  the 
Immortal  City,  I  took  my  place  on  the  roof  of  the  velocipede. 

A  deluging  shower  quenched  the  dusty  roads,  and  getting 
among  the  hills — quite  unlike  the  verdure  covered  fields  of 
Modena,  and  the  valley  of  the  Arno — we  rolled  rapidly 
onward.  At  midnight  we  stopped  for  dinner  at  a  road-side 
inn.  There  we  had  tough  pigeons  and  sweet  wine,  in  little 
flasks  stopped  up  with  cotton  and  oil.  And  here,  too,  the 
night  being  cool,  I  squeezed  into  the  interior  of  the  velocipede, 
where  there  was  a  vacant  place. 

I  had  four  companions.  One  a  fat  young  woman  destined 
for  a  nun,  in  charge  of  a  Polish  priest.  The  other  two  were 
Brothers  of  the  Order  of  Loyola.  All  and  each  of  this  party 
took  snuff,  sometimes  simultaneously,  then  separately,  but 
without  any  pause  or  interruption.  Towards  daylight,  they 
began  a  general  nose  blowing.  Each  was  provided  with  two 
large  cotton  bandanas,  kept  in  separate  pockets.  The  nas- 
tiest, if  possible,  of  these  handkerchiefs,  would  first  be  brought 
out,  and  a  clear  spot  selected  for  the  work.  Then  seizing 
their  noses  with  a  snap — for  being  mostly  Romans,  they  of 
course  had  a  good  hold — they  would  wring  the  member,  and 
shake  and  twist  it  with  much  exasperation,  blowing  and 
snorting  the  while  like  asthmatic  grampuses.  When 
exhausted  by  this  exertion,  the  bandana  was  jerked  round 


SNUFF.  351 

into  a  rope,  and  returned  to  its  place ;  then  the  other  was 
extracted  from  its  receptacle,  and  the  proboscis  made  to 
endure  still  more  violent  ill-usage ;  when  finally,  by  a  few 
vicious  tweaks  and  polishings,  the  matter  was  ended  for  the 
time. 

Any  one  may  presume  that  so  soon  as  the  sun  rose,  I  left 
this  snuffy  region,  and  scrambled  to  the  roof,  where,  rolling 
on  rapidly  all  the  day  long,  by  sunset  Saint  Angelo  and  the 
dome  of  Saint  Peter's  loomed  up  before  us,  we  crossed  the 
Tiber,  and  entered  the  city  by  the  Porto  di  Popolo. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  August,  and  all  the  sight-seeing 
Roman  world  had  run  away  from  the  malaria.  The  hotels 
were  turned  inside  out,  and  I  was  only  able  to  get  a  high-up 
lodging  in  the  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

Learning  that  the  coach  did  not  leave  by  the  Terracina 
route  until  the  following  day  but  one  after  my  arrival,  I  pre- 
pared to  make  the  most  of  my  time,  for  in  fact,  I  had  made 
a  wager  that  I  would  see  all  of  Rome  in  a  day. 

I  accordingly  engaged  a  sharp  little  old  valet  out  of  place, 
who  at  five  o'clock  in  the  early  morn,  had  a  smart  little  horse 
and  vettura  standing  ready  for  me,  in  the  court-yard  of  the 
albergo. 

"  Giovanni,"  said  I,  "  do  you  see  this  bright  yellow  effigy 
of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  ?"  His  black  orbits  twinkled.  "  Well 
then,  if  you  so  much  as  miss  a  single  old  stone,  temple,  ruin, 
virgin,  obelisk,  garden,  or  fountain  in  Rome,  I  shall  keep 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  in  my  pocket,  and  you  will  go  without 
your  supper,  my  little  cabbage." 

"  Andiam !  let  us  be  off,"  said  Giovanni,  impatiently. 


352  SOAMPAVIAS. 

Off  we  went.  First  to  the  Forum,  under  all  the  triumphal 
arches,  and  in  and  out  of  the  Coliseum,  Temples  of  peace, 
war,  winds,  and  what  not.  Then  a  regular  scamper  through 
the  galleries  of  the  Vatican,  where  I  saw  the  Pontiff  leaning 
out  of  a  window,  attired  in  a  yellow  flannel  night-gown,  like 
a  venerable  Pelican  ;  then  a  dash  at  Saint  Peter's,  where  the 
fine  sculpture  that  I  so  admired  in  days  of  yore,  I  found  more 
than  half  dressed  in  plaster-paris  chemisettes,  a  style  of  dra- 
pery introduced  by  the  Pius  Nono,  to  prevent  his  holy  car- 
dinals and  prelates  from  falling  in  love,  Pygmalion-like,  with 
the  lovely  nude  forms.  From  here  out  to  the  gorgeous 
church  of  Saint  Paul,  back  by  Saint  John  di  Lateran,  the 
Capitoline,  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  other  antiquities,  and  without 
being  guided  by  any  rigid  rules  of  sight-seeing  topography,  I 
cried  halt !  where  the 

" dread  Pantheon  stands, 

Amid  the  domes  of  modern  hands, 
Amid  the  toys  of  idle  state, 
How  simply,  how  severely  great." 

In  truth  I  was  hungry  ;  so  poking  Giovanni  with  the  point 
of  my  sword  scabbard,  I  said,  "  It  is  high  noon,  we  shall  have 
time  hanging  heavy  on  our  hands  if  we  go  on  at  this  rapid 
rate — suppose  we  take  a  bite  of  breakfast.'* 

"Sicuro!  Sicurof"  quoth  Giovanni,  "Altrof  why  not? 
why  not  ?  The  Signore  must  eat !  Sicuro  !  we  all  should 
eat !" 

Accordingly,  we  drove  to  a  quiet  little  garden-restaurant, 
where  beneath  an  arbor  of  clustering  grape-vines,  and  where 
were  groups  of  jaunty  French  officers — occupants  of  Rome — 


DISPATCHES.  353 

I  had  a  sumptuous  repast  of  small  bifsteks,  vegetables  and 
luscious  fruits.  My  cicerone,  meanwhile,  with  the  Vettura 
man  and  his  beast,  ate  heartily  of  the  good  things  set  before 
them.  After  drinking  one  or  two  of  the  little  wicker-bound 
flasks  of  the  tipple  of  the  Roman  States,  I  felt  somewhat  disin- 
clined, I  must  admit,  to  see  the  remainder  of  Rome,  but  Gio- 
vanni, having  no  doubt  the  effigy  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  legi- 
bly impressed  upon  his  vision,  urged  me  to  resume  the  tour. 
I  accordingly  threw  myself  back  in  the  vettura,  and  we  started 
again.  I  may  have  taken  siesta,  or  I  may  not,  but  towards 
the  set  of  the  sun,  Giovanni  smoothed  me  gently  on  the  knees, 
and  told  me  that  I  had  won  my  wager ;  that  if  I  had  been 
the  Pope,  or  Milord  Anglais,  I  could  not  have  succeeded  so 
well ;  that  I  had  bowed  to  several  cardinals,  bought  Etruscan 
bracelets  in  the  best  shops ;  spoke  well  of  Mazzini  and  Gari- 
baldi in  the  market-place  ;  walked  through  the  Borghese  gar- 
dens, and  Ecco !  Signore,  here  we  are  on  the  Pincian 
Hill. 

I  at  once  descended  from  the  little  vehicle,  and  rewarding 
the  conductor  liberally,  sat  down  upon  a  marble  bench  and 
gazed  upon  the  pretty  throngs  who  swept  by.  Then  I  took  a 
stroll  along  the  Corso,  saw  a  brigade  of  French  troops,  with 
some  fine  cavalry  returning  from  a  review,  and  then  having 
fully  made  up  my  mind  that  there  was  nought  else  worth 
seeing  in  Rome,  I  betook  me  to  bed  for  an  early  start  on  the 
morrow. 

The  sun  was  just  getting  up  from  the  sickly  haze  which 
hung  like  a  pall  in  the  direction  of  the  Pontine  marshes 
as  the  small  courier-diligence  I  was  in  rattled  out  of 


354  SCAMPAVIAS. 

the  gate  of  the  Saint  John  di  Lateran.  For  miles  along 
our  left,  loomed  up  from  the  thick  mist,  the  arches  of  the 
great  aqueducts  which  carried  the  aqua  felice  to  Rome,  and 
all  around,  the  country  looked  silent,  unwholesome  and  desert- 
ed. Nor  did  the  animated  nature  impress  me  pleasantly. 
Here  and  there  over  the  hedgeless  fields,  were  groups  of  rag- 
ged peasants  of  the  Abruzzi,  gathering  the  remains  of  the 
harvest,  their  faces  yellow  and  sunken  with  the  breath  of  the 
malaria,  while  their  cattle  were  thin  and  wan  with  the  thirst 
and  heat  of  the  tree-less  plains. 

Besides  me,  in  the  coupe"  was  a  dismounted  Gendarme.  His 
long  sabre  was  very  inconvenient  to  both  our  legs.  He  was 
so  extremely  polite  to  me  that  I  somehow  suspected  he  had 
an  object  in  making  the  journey  with  me,  which  conjecture 
afterwards  proved  well  founded.  To  be  sure  I  bore  no  re- 
semblance to  Garibaldi,  who  at  the  time  was  supposed  to  be 
hovering  about  the  coast  of  the  Roman  States,  nor  even  if  I 
did,  with  an  American  uniform  on  my  back,  did  I  care  a 
carlino  for  the  entire  host  of  spies  or  police  of  his  Eminence 
the  Pope.  So  if  it  afforded  them  the  slightest  gratification  to 
travel  with  me,  or  listen  to  my  conversation,  they  had  it  for 
nothing. 

"  This,"  said  the  agreeable  Gendarme,  as  we  rumbled  over 
the  broad  causeway,  "  is  the  Appian  way,  built  by  Appius 
Claudius  the  Censor,  at  his  own  expense.  Brundusium  Nu- 
mica  melius  Via  ducat,  an  appi? 

"  Oh !  he  did !"  said  I,  "  but  why  don't  his  Holiness  do 
something  in  that  way,  and  make  an  iron  road,  instead  of  jolt- 
ing us  over  these  round  stones  ?" 


DISPATCHES.  356 

"  Altro  f  sicuro  !  why  not  ?  But  Signer  Capitano,  what 
would  become  of  the  horned  cattle,  the  horses  and  their  dri- 
vers, if  we  go  by  steam  ?" 

"  Put  some  of  them  in  express  wagons,"  I  replied,  "  and 
turn  the  monasteries  into  silk  factories,  and  make  the  rest  of 
the  vagabonds  work. 

"  Altro  !  sicuro  f     The  Excellenza  understands  it." 

After  a  pause,  he  lugged  out  a  bag,  from  which  he  extract- 
ed a  hunk  of  cheese,  some  brown  bread,  and  a  flask  of  Ovieto 
wine,  all  which,  by  polite  invitation,  I  freely  partook  of. 
Then  he  continued,  "The  Capitano  has  but  few  effects  to 
carry," — alluding  to  my  diminutive  valise — "he  is,  perhaps, 
not  going  far."  The  Capitano  told  him,  he  had  not  made  up 
his  mind  at  all  upon  the  subject  of  his  journey,  but  he  thought 
it  likely  the  day  would  pass  without  rain. 

Meanwhile  we  turned  off  from  the  main  road  and  struck 
down  by  the  sea  shore,  in  the  direction  of  Porto  d'Anzo. 
Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  after  the  last  change 
of  horses — the  leading  beast  became  fractious,  swung  sharp 
round  in  the  road,  tripped  up  the  off-wheel  horse,  and  cap 
sized  the  diligence  like  a  ten-pin.  I  fell  on  top  of  my  Gen- 
darme soldier,  and  escaped  with  a  few  skin  abrasions,  caused 
by  the  scabbard  of  his  long  sabre.  But  he,  poor  Roman,  had 
his  ankle  dislocated,  and  his  handsome  face  badly  cut  by  the 
broken  glass  of  the  carriage  door.  When  I  succeeded  in 
crawling  out  of  the  wreck,  I  found  the  driver  tearing  his  hair, 
and  cursing  as  if  he  had  never  lived  in  a  religious  community, 
and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  I  could  induce  him  to 
assist  me  in  extricating  the  wounded  Roman.  We  then  got 


356  SCAMPAVIAS. 

him  laid  on,  a  couch  of  cushions  by  the  way-side,  and  made 
him  as  comfortable  as  practicable.  It  now  became  my  turn  to 
look  about  for  the  means  of  prosecuting  my  journey.  I  knew 
a  steamer  was  to  leave  Porte  d'Anzo  that  evening  for  Naples — 
a  distance  of  two  leagues  from  the  coach — and  I  determined 
to  march.  This  project,  however,  was  received  with  great 
apparent  grief  by  the  Gendarme.  He  implored  the  noble 
Capitano  not  to  leave  him  to  die  on  the  road,  that  brigands 
infested  that  part  of  the  country,  who  always  killed  helpless 
wayfarers;  that,  in  short,  the  Santissima  Madonna  would 
reward  me  liberally  if  I  remained. 

It  was  cruel  of  me,  perhaps,  to  leave  my  companion,  but 
my  dispatches  were  important,  so,  after  pointing  out  to  him, 
that  the  driver  could  go  back  to  the  post-house  and  return  in 
a  couple  of  hours  with  another  vehicle,  and  that  as  I  greatly 
feared  the  Pontine  fever,  I  said  addio  ! 

Looking  back  after  walking  some  distance  up  the  road,  I 
was  a  little  surprised  to  observe  the  prostrate  soldier  give  a 
paper  to  the  postillion,  and  then  to  see  that  individual  mount 
a  horse  and  take  after  me.  The  beast,  however,  objected  to 
going,  and  shook  his  burden  off  his  back.  I  watched  the 
fellow  while  he  began  to  disengage  the  harness  from  one  of 
the  leaders,  and  then  I  quickened  my  pace  to  a  long  trot. 
I  suspected,  too,  that  the  soldier  had  designs  for  detaining 
me,  or  putting  me,  perhaps,  to  some  needless  annoyance. 
I  had  not  gone  far,  before  I  met  a  half-naked  little  black- 
haired  imp,  driving  a  mule  cart.  I  at  once  accosted  him. 
and  holding  up  a  round  silver  scudo,  asked  if  he  knew  what 
that  was  ?  and  if  he  could  turn  back  with  me  to  the  port  ? 


DISPATCHES.  357 

"  But  Excellenza,  my  father  is  waiting  for  me  at  the  rocks 
down  there,  to  take  the  fish  from  the  boat." 

"  0  !"  I  exclaimed,  u  your  excellent  padre,  and  your  caris- 
sima  madre,  too,  wants  a  dollar,  and  you  shall  have  another  if 
you  gallop  me  into  D'Anzo." 

"  Whirr-a !"  shouted  the  imp,  as  he  jerked  the  rope  to 
the  mule's  head,  and  pulled  him  round  in  the  right  direction. 
"  chelenza  mio,  how  he  runs  !  Remember  the  scudo,  Signore, 
for  me." 

I  could  barely  keep  in  the  jolting  little  cart,  for  we  went 
at  a  rattling  gait.  I  looked  back,  however,  occasionally,  and 
just  on  a  slight  rise,  near  the  summer  retreat  of  his  Holiness, 
who  has  a  fine  villa  in  this  neighborhood,  I  saw  the  diligence 
driver  laboring  along  the  road  in  our  wake,  and  belaboring 
his  beast  the  while.  Going  straight  through  the  ancient 
Port,  I  stopped  on  the  quay,  and  soon  learned  where  the 
vessel  lay  which  was  bound  to  Naples.  Placing  the  silver 
dollars  in  my  small  mule-man's  hand,  I  seized  my  valise,  and 
passport  in  hand,  presented  myself  at  the  Bureau  of  Embar- 
cation.  There,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  paper  was 
stamped  and  vise'd,  and  I  immediately  took  a  boat,  went  on 
board  the  steamer,  paid  my  passage,  and  sat  down  to  rest. 
Scarcely,  however,  had  I  discovered  that  the  steamer  was  not 
much  bigger  than  a  soup  tureen,  of  half  a  pony  power,  and 
ordered  a  generous  repast  from  a  cook  who  did  the  restaurant 
business  on  board  the  boat,  when  I  beheld  the  postillion  come 
galloping  up  to  the  Bureau  on  the  quay,  and  enter  the  build- 
ing. Presently,  an  official  rushed  out,  paper  in  hand,  fol- 
lowed by  two  or  three  confederates,  who  looked  up  and  down 


358  SCAMPAVIAS. 

the  street.  Not  seeing,  apparently,  anything  of  consequence 
there,  they  turned  their  eyes  to  the  port,  and,  perhaps,  saw 
what  they  were  in  quest  of,  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them, 
comfortably  seated  beneath  an  awning. 

Meanwhile,  steam  was  up,  and  some  half-a-dozen  passen- 
gers— among  them  a  brace  of  gay  young  Frenchmen — had 
come  on  board  with  the  Padrone.  A  few  moments  after,  a 
custom-house  boat  came  alongside,  and  the  same  gentleman 
who  had  countersigned  my  passport  mounted  to  the  deck. 

"  Signori !"  said  he,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  you  will  produce 
your passa-porti"  When  it  came  my  turn,  he  elevated  his 
fine  eyebrows  and  exclaimed,  "Capitano,  there  is  some  mistake 
here,  be  good  enough  to  go  on  shore." 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  I  said,  emphatically ;  "  my  passport  is 
perfectly  regular,  you  vised  it  yourself ;  if  there  be  any  mis- 
take, it  is  your  fault,  not  mine,  and,  therefore,  I  have  no 
intention  of  going  on  shore."  This  conversation  attracted 
some  attention,  and  the  gay  Frenchmen  came  to  my  side. 
Still  the  official  declared  that  the  Capitano  must  make  a  visit 
to  the  Bureau  with  his  effects,  or  else  the  steamer  could  not 
depart." 

Losing  a  little  temper  at  last,  I  said,  "  Now,  sir,  I  am  an 
American  officer  with  government  dispatches — here  they 
are  ;  I  am  vised  by  your  own  act,  out  of  the  Roman  States  ; 
that  is  a  Neapolitan  flag  flying  over  this  vessel,  and  I  shall 
stay  on  board  of  her  until  she  either  sinks  or  reaches 
Naples,  in  spite  of  you,  and  the  Pope  to  boot.  But,  if  you 
think  it  necessary  to  use  force,  why,  here  I  am,  seize  me." 

My  persecutor  uttered,  at  these  words,  such  a  wonderfully 


DISPATCHES.  359 

voluble  denial  of  any  such  intention  as  that  of  laying  violent 
hands  on  the  Capitano  Americano,  that  it  was  painful  to 
listen  to  him. 

Hereupon  arose,  also,  a  dreadful  clamor  in  the  equipage 
of  the  steamer  ;  the  Padrone  raved,  and  the  passengers  grum- 
bled, all,  but  the  gentle  Frenchmen,  who  swore  I  was  quite 
right,  and  consigned  the  police  to  the  Diavolo.  Having 
likewise  expressed  my  own  individual  views  on  the  subject, 
I  addressed  myself  to  the  dinner  spread  before  me,  and  let 
the  mob  fight  it  out. 

The  Porto  D'Anzo  man  was,  evidently,  in  a  great  quan- 
dary ;  he  feared  to  detain  the  vessel  on  my  account,  and  he 
was  in  equal  trepidation  about  parting  with  me  altogether. 
But,  finally,  after  a  deal  of  Italian  howling  and  disputing, 
which  had  no  more  effect  upon  me,  than  it  did  upon  Mount 
Circello  in  the  distance — it  was  decided  that  an  official,  in  a 
yellow  collar  and  the  keys  of  the  Pontiff  embroidered  in  red 
tape  on  the  tails  of  his  coat,  should  take  passage  in  the 
steamer,  and  see  the  unreasonable  Capitano  safely  delivered 
to  the  chief  Director  of  Police  in  the  city  of  Napoli. 

This  gloomy  scheme  for  my  future  state,  did  not  in  any 
way  affect  my  appetite  ;  and  in  the  matter  of  drink,  I  tossed 
off  a  tumbler  of  champagne  to  the  health  of  my  friends  in 
Porto  D'Anzo,  together  with  kind  compliments  to  the  college 
of  Cardinals,  the  Pontifical  guard,  the  Sberri,  the  monks, 
assassins,  and,  in  fact,  the  whole  population  of  the  States  of 
the  Church. 

We  paddled  pleasantly  away  from  the  Porto  D'Anzo,  out 
into  the  calm  bay  of  Gaeta,  where,  in  the  society  of  my 


360  SCAMPAVIAS. 

newly  made  French  friends,  we  made  merry,  until  daylight 
appeared,  and  the  little  steam  tureen  came  to  anchor  at 
Naples. 

The  Padrone  soon  went  on  shore  for  pratique,  accompanied 
by  the  key  embroidered  person — whose  prisoner  I  was.  The 
Cumberland,  however,  was  lying  within  rifle  shot  of  us,  and 
as  one  of  her  cutters  pulled  by,  I  made  a  signal  to  the  cox- 
swain to  stop  for  me  when  he  should  return  to  the  Frigate. 
Presently,  the  Padrone  of  the  steamer,  with  the  subject  of  the 
Pontiff,  came  on  board,  escorted  by  two  large  custom  house 
boats.  "  Signori  passagieri  si  pud  debarcare"  u  Passengers 
can  go  on  shore,"  the  Padrone  bawled. 

The  voyagers  at  once  tumbled  over  the  side,  but,  as  I 
moved  in  that  direction,  a  large  man,  in  a  still  larger  cloak, 
touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  and  said  in  my  ear,  "  II  Signor 
Direttore  della  Polizia  vuol  parlure  col  Capitano." 

"  Ah !  so  the  Director  of  Police  wishes  to  see  me,  does  h^  ? 
Give  him  my  love,  and  tell  him  he  can  see  as  much  as  he 
likes  after  I've  had  my  breakfast  on  board  that  Frigate 
there." 

"  0  !  Signor  Capitano  non  e  possibile  /" 

At  this  juncture,  the  Frigate's  heavy  cutter  came  leisurely 
alongside  the  steamer,  the  blades  of  the  oars  tossed  and 
flashing  in  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun. 

"  Here,  Pooley,"  said  I,  to  the  sturdy  coxswain,  "  catch 
this  valise,  will  you  ?"  "  Aye,  aye,  sir,  all  right."  It  by  no 
means  impressed  the  man  in  the  cloak  as  being  all  right,  for 
he  raised  an  unearthly  yell,  and  called  to  the  two  custom 
boats  to  come  alongside.  I  merely  remarked,  as  I  acciden- 


DISPATCHES.  361 

tally  punched  him  with  the  point  of  ray  sword  scabbard 
below  his  belt,  that  if  he  did  not  stand  clear  of  the  gangway, 
he  might  fall  headforemost  into  the  water.  Then  bidding 
him  farewell,  I  sprang  into  the  boat.  We  had  scarcely 
pulled  a  cable's  length  from  the  steamer,  when  along  wal- 
lowed the  boats  of  the  custom  house,  shouting  at  us  as  if  we 
owed  them  money. 

"  Pooley,"  I  observed,  "  if  any  of  those  rascals  astern,  so 
much  as  splash  a  pint  of  water  over  us,  break  them  in  pieces 
like  a  stick  of  maccaroni." 

"  Throw  in  your  bow  oars  there,"  quoth  coxswain,  "  and 
get  yer  boat-hooks  ready  to  harpoon  them  maccaroni  chaps' 
eyes  out  if  they  comes  near  us." 

After  this  display  of  defense,  our  pursuers  maintained  a 
respectful  distance,  and  I  went  up  the  side  of  the  jolly  old 
Frigate,  in  peace  with  all  the  world.  It  was  thought  advisa- 
ble^ .however,  after  iny  dispatches  had  been  delivered,  and  the 
breakfast  things  cleared  away,  that  I  should  call  upon  the 
High  Admiral,  the  Prince  Luigi,  and  ask  for  what  reason 
such  care  had  been  bestowed  upon  me  by  the  police. 
Accordingly,  I  took  boat  to  the  arsenal,  where  I  met  His 
Highness  just  giving  the  reins  of  his  thorough -bred  horses  to 
the  grooms  as  he  stepped  out  of  his  open  phaeton.  By  the 
way,  Prince  Luigi  is  one  of  the  manliest,  and  best  bred  gen- 
tlemen you  will  meet  anywhere,  and  I  never  wondered  that 
the  Sicilians  wished  him  to  reign  over  them  in  preference  to 
his  august  brother,  Ferdinand. 

It  took  but  a  few  minutes  to  recount  to  the  handsome 
Prince,  the  solicitude  which  had  been  exercised  for  my  wel- 

16 


362  SCAMPAVIAS. 

fare,  and  to  inquire  of  him  if,  in  his  opinion,  the  annoyance 
would  be  repeated.  He  graciously  replied,  that  the  whole 
affair  was  evidently  a  mistake,  though  he  was  ignorant  of  the 
cause ;  perhaps  it  was  owing  to  some  new  regulation  about 
quarantine,  and,  in  fine,  he  felt  quite  confident  it  would  not 
occur  again. 

Here  this  deep  mystery  ended,  and  I  don't  know  to  this 
day,  nor  can't  divine  for  what  object  the  Pope  or  the  police 
tried  to  entice  me  into  their  clutches  ! 


ADDIO. 

Leaving  Naples,  we  beat  up  the  Italian  coast  to  Civita 
Vecchia,  and  Leghorn,  and  again  dropt  anchor  in  the  Gulf 
of  Spezia. 

There  bidding  adieu  to  the  dear  old  Frigate,  and  while  the 
cheers  of  my  messmates  rang  out  clear  and  hearty  up  the 
hills,  I  turned  my  face  towards  Switzerland,  and  ended  my 
Scampavias  in  the  Mediterranean. 


THE    END. 


20807 


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